Reguliersgracht, tijdens een regenbui before 1932

These photographs of the Reguliersgracht during a rain shower, were made by Norbert van den Berg sometime in the 20th century. It’s the kind of gray that only rain can bring out, a wash of tones that blurs the distinction between things, a challenge for the eye, and for the camera lens. Look at the variations in tone, how some of the photographs are darker, where the rain is dense and heavy, and others are lighter, where the rain is beginning to ease. Think about the conditions and the material aspects that create this. It is a process of layering and the manipulation of light and shadow, the textures, the surface, and the physicality of the medium, all shape our emotional experience of the artwork. There’s a mood that reminds me of the landscapes of the old masters but brought into the modern era. It feels like a conversation across time, embracing the ambiguities and multiple interpretations that art offers.