Tuin en straat 1941 - 1942

This page from a photo album holds six small photographs of gardens and streets, by an anonymous artist. They're all black and white, so our process of seeing is stripped back to the essential – form and shadow. Look at the variety of scenes, from a sunbather in a leafy garden to a formal street scene. The images aren't pristine; they have the slightly blurred quality of snapshots, like little glimpses of a life lived. Each photograph feels like a fragment, a fleeting moment caught and pinned down. Notice the way the photos are arranged on the page, almost like a collage. There is something charming in the imperfections. This piece reminds me of the work of Gerhard Richter, particularly his "Atlas" project, which also deals with the layering and juxtaposition of found images. Both artists seem interested in the poetics of the everyday and the way we construct meaning through the act of seeing and collecting. What do these collected scenes mean for you?