De woestijn bij de Boulderdam 1936

Wouter Cool made this photograph of the desert near the Boulder Dam. I look at this image and think about the photographer—out there in the desert, squinting, holding the camera steady. Did he feel small, standing in such a vast space? Or maybe he felt a sense of adventure, capturing this slice of the American West. The greyscale flattens the landscape, but also gives it a timelessness, like it could be any desert, any time. The mountains in the background seem almost painted, like a backdrop in an old movie. The road winding through the scene is a path, inviting us to journey into the unknown. I think of other photographers and painters who have tried to capture the feeling of the desert—its emptiness, its beauty, its harshness. It's a conversation across time, each artist adding their own voice to the chorus.