Vertrekkende groep officieren uit Busan 1951 - 1953

David Ketel took this small photograph of officers leaving Busan, and the first thing that strikes me is its intimacy. It is like a snapshot from a family album. I wonder what Ketel was thinking when he captured this moment. I imagine he was drawn to the patterns of light and shadow, to the crisp geometry of the ship against the soft, muted blues and greens of the landscape. The composition is so interesting because it gives us just enough information, while leaving so much unsaid. The slightly desaturated colors give the scene an almost dreamlike quality, as if it is a memory fading at the edges. The light from above almost makes the scene glow. This picture makes me think about Dutch painters like Mondrian and his interest in the geometry of modern life, the way simple lines and planes can evoke such a powerful sense of place and feeling. I am happy Ketel took this, even if it's a tiny image.