Molen Possibly 1926

This old photograph shows some kind of milling machine, origin unknown, in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. Looking at the image, I imagine the scene and feel for this anonymous photographer, working at the intersection of art, documentation and commerce. What was it like to be there, setting up the shot with all this heavy, immovable machinery around? The lens, an eye, staring, but not quite seeing… because in the end, it’s only the feeling, the lived experience, that makes a picture work. I wonder, could the photographer feel the weight and heft of all the metal? It’s funny how photographs flatten everything, but somehow the artist manages to transmit information to us beyond the image. Even if it’s a bit wonky and out of focus, it’s still real, a testament, and a document, full of meaning. Just like a painting, the feeling is always present, even when it’s mediated through a lens.