Echtpaar Berti Hoppe en Herman Besselaar op stap in Plaswijck 1936

Berti Hoppe made this artwork, Echtpaar Berti Hoppe en Herman Besselaar op stap in Plaswijck, with photography. I imagine Hoppe, out and about, taking a series of photographs in Plaswijck. The high contrast and detail in these photographs tell a story, one of light and shadow, of figures captured against the backdrop of the natural world. You can see these figures standing and leaning, posing and at ease. There is a sense of movement and spontaneity, of a life lived in the moment. I’m reminded of other artists, like Lisette Model, who were capturing everyday life with such intensity and intimacy. And I think of Helen Levitt, with her eye for the poetic in the ordinary. Berti Hoppe is part of that conversation. The framing of the figures, the texture of the landscape – these are all choices, decisions made in the moment, that create meaning. Artists are always talking to each other, across time and space, influencing each other's work and sparking new ideas. These pictures capture a fleeting moment, but also point towards something timeless and universal, connecting us all.