Groepsportret van KNIL-militairen met machinegeweren voor een stal 1895 - 1920

This group portrait of KNIL soldiers with machine guns in front of a stable was produced by Lik Sun Bros, although the exact date is unknown. I'm thinking about what it must have been like for Lik Sun Bros to carefully arrange this shot. Look at the range of faces, the different hats, and the way some figures kneel while others stand. Imagine the lighting considerations of shooting outside. How do you balance the figures and ground with the shade under the tiled roof? I see such tension in the scene. They are posing, but holding rifles! The building behind them looks so fragile, a simple shelter from the elements. What was life like in this place at this time? These kinds of images help me think about how art holds history, how one image can generate a lot of questions. It’s this spirit of inquiry that drives so many artists to create.