Koninginnedag 1903 - 1910

Hendrik Doijer made this photograph called Koninginnedag, sometime in his career, but we aren't entirely sure when. There's something about old black and white photographs, they immediately take you back in time. The gray tones feel less real, more like a memory or a dream. In this image, the scene is still and quiet, but the event is implied by the buildings and tents dotting the horizon. The contrast is very subtle, adding to the dreamlike quality. The palms look like they are swaying in the breeze and the clouds have volume even without any saturation. It reminds me of some of the landscapes made by Gerhard Richter – they use photographic sources but feel like a painting, despite the source material. The use of grey and the slight blurriness gives it that effect. Ultimately, what interests me is the way a piece like this can be both a record of a specific moment and a completely open-ended space for interpretation.