Duitse marineschepen voor de haven van Kiel 1903 - 1910

Editor: We’re looking at “Duitse marineschepen voor de haven van Kiel,” or “German naval ships off the port of Kiel,” a photograph taken sometime between 1903 and 1910 by Geldolph Adriaan Kessler. It's held here at the Rijksmuseum. I’m immediately struck by how...vulnerable the ships look in the vastness of the sea. The tones are muted, almost ghostly. What’s your take? Curator: Vulnerable is an interesting choice, it resonates with me. I think this image, beyond just documenting naval power, hints at the uncertainty of the era. This photograph appears to be a stereograph, meant to create a 3D image when viewed through a special device. Do you think the intended viewing experience shifts the mood at all? Editor: I imagine that bringing that 3D element could add a sense of ominous scale and heighten that vulnerability! Does the Realism tag fit here, or is there something else happening with the aesthetic? Curator: It is labelled Realism, of course, striving to capture a scene objectively. But I think it hints at something more – perhaps a commentary on the fleeting nature of power, or maybe even a premonition of the conflicts that were brewing in Europe at the time. The grainy texture lends a dreamlike quality. What emotional impact does that have on you? Editor: The graininess does blur the line between reality and something more… ethereal, unsettling. So maybe Realism is only *part* of the story here. It makes me wonder what Kessler's intentions were – just a record, or something else? Curator: Precisely. And perhaps intentions don't even matter so much as the emotional echoes that vibrate through the decades. What lingering question does it leave you with? Editor: It leaves me thinking about the human cost, often unseen, behind these displays of military might. Thanks! Curator: Absolutely, it makes me think about all the stories art can tell, beyond the surface, that touch the deep chords of shared experience. A real ocean of emotion, eh?