Ruïnes van de Passage en Van Doorn's gesticht te Rotterdam c. 1940 - 1945

This photograph titled 'Ruïnes van de Passage en Van Doorn's gesticht te Rotterdam', captures a scene of destruction. It’s credited to J. Nolte, and like many photographs it’s made with light, shadow, and a particular point of view. What strikes me most is the texture, the raw, uneven edges of the ruin contrasting with the geometric precision of the building's remaining facade. Look at how the light catches on the rubble, a chaos of forms suggesting both violence and a strange kind of beauty. The photograph doesn't shy away from showing us the cracks, the fissures. It reminds me a bit of some of Anselm Kiefer's paintings, with their layering of materials and exploration of history’s darker sides. Art is always about seeing, feeling, and thinking—and this photograph definitely gives us a lot to think about. It’s a conversation, a question, not a simple statement.