The White Pageant 1908

Curator: This is Geldolph Adriaan Kessler’s 1908 photograph, “The White Pageant,” currently held in the Rijksmuseum collection. It’s a gelatin silver print depicting a fleet of ships on a somewhat turbulent sea. Editor: Turbulent is the word. I’m immediately struck by the atmospheric density here; the sky presses down with all its grayscale weight, almost dwarfing the water and distant vessels. Curator: Kessler was part of a movement of Dutch photographers around the turn of the century, trying to elevate photography to fine art. He participated in many international exhibitions. This photo demonstrates a focus on industrial subjects—but not just on industry itself, it emphasizes how technological advancement affects our relationship with the natural environment and the shifting visual landscape of the Netherlands. Editor: The tonal range, certainly, creates a dynamic field of visual interest. Kessler has mastered his contrasts; from the cloud-piercing sails in the mid-ground to the muted horizontal ships trailing into the foggy distance. The soft focus and hazy monochrome add to the romantic, albeit somber, feeling. I wonder if it represents a sublime, industrial age vision. Curator: Yes, one can’t ignore the formal language, the impressionistic style he seems to have adopted to add value to what was usually seen as documentary images only. It speaks volumes to his strategy as he captured the maritime industrialization underway in Holland. He highlights not only ships but also their importance in national identity and wealth at that moment in history. It suggests movement but the atmospheric density makes it feel as though there is some tension between progress and an awareness of environmental costs, somehow. Editor: The composition certainly supports that. Notice how the eye travels toward the brightest areas only to confront the density further back? It creates a see-saw effect—a formal echoing of progress met by natural limitation, maybe. This single work showcases an array of values beyond the pictorial too, now I look closer. Thank you. Curator: And thank you for unpacking the more ethereal layers present in Kessler's work.