Twee jongetjes, een in traditionele Javaanse kleding, een zittend in een stoel in een wit shirt met een wit hoedje. c. 1914

This photograph, made by Frits Freerks Fontein Fz. around 1915, captures two young boys. It’s a warm sepia tone, like a memory fading at the edges, and this makes me think about how we see the past. The one boy stands tall, wearing traditional Javanese dress, while the other sits on a bench in a white shirt and hat. I notice the details: the way the light catches the fabric, the shadows that define their faces. It reminds me that art is never just about the subject, but about how the artist sees. The stillness of the pose and the soft focus gives this image an emotive charge. I am reminded of the work of Julia Margaret Cameron, but the scene is more informal. Photography is an ongoing conversation, one artist speaking to another across time. Ultimately, what we see is always filtered through our own experiences, making art a deeply personal encounter.