Kade van Zwijndrecht gezien vanaf de brug tussen Dordrecht en Zwijndrecht Possibly 1940 - 1946

Here we have a photograph of Kade van Zwijndrecht seen from the bridge between Dordrecht and Zwijndrecht. It was made by an anonymous artist, and it’s a bit hard to get a handle on, right? The tones are really muted, almost monochrome, making the scene feel both distant and immediate. The texture looks grainy, as if it’s been copied many times over. Notice the dark plume of smoke on the horizon. It’s a striking, almost abstract shape, especially against the flat, watery expanse. It really catches the eye. The composition leads you along the bridge to the industrial landscape, with the horizon line almost in the middle of the frame. The smokestacks are mirrored by the bridge itself, emphasizing the linear quality of the piece. It reminds me of some of the photographs by Bernd and Hilla Becher, who made these typologies of industrial buildings. This photograph captures a specific moment, but it also speaks to something much larger about landscape, industry, and our relationship to the built environment. In art, there are never any easy answers, just more questions!