Terugkeer van Juliana, koningin der Nederlanden, Bernhard van Lippe-Biesterfeld, Beatrix, koningin der Nederlanden, Irene, prinses der Nederlanden, en Margriet, prinses der Nederlanden, in Nederland op 2 augustus 1945 Possibly 1945 - 1948

This photograph, taken on August 2nd, 1945 by an anonymous photographer, shows the return of the Dutch Royal family to the Netherlands. The palette is greyscale, a study in light and shadow, and it’s the tonal range that really pulls me in. It's all about the grays here – those in-between moments, not so black and white, more like life. The surface has a kind of starkness, and it feels immediate, like you’re right there on the tarmac. Look at the way the light catches the side of the plane, versus the flatness of the grass. There’s something about the graininess, the starkness, that makes this feel true. I keep coming back to the fan tucked under the Queen’s arm, what does it mean? This photo reminds me a little of Gerhard Richter’s blurred photos, which he made from newspaper clippings – there’s something so compelling about this kind of image, its like a half-remembered dream. In the end, it’s not about what’s literally there, but what it makes you feel.