Binnenplaats van de gevangenis op de Prinsegracht te Den Haag before 1908

Here we have Binnenplaats van de gevangenis op de Prinsegracht te Den Haag, a photograph by an anonymous artist taken in 1918. There’s something about the way the light hits the brickwork; it’s so beautiful and yet it’s a prison. The process of capturing a building like this, a place of confinement and restriction, feels like an attempt to understand its essence. I love the texture of the brick, how each one has its own character, its own little story to tell. The windows are like eyes, staring out, or maybe staring in, reflecting on what’s happening inside. And the light, it’s so soft and diffused, it almost feels like it’s trying to escape. It reminds me of those early Bernd and Hilla Becher photographs of industrial architecture, where they found a kind of austere beauty in the mundane. It’s about finding the extraordinary in the ordinary, and recognizing that beauty can be found even in the most unexpected places. There’s no right answer, just a conversation, an exchange of ideas, and the endless possibilities of interpretation.