De heren Bierens de Haan zittend onder een steile rots Possibly 1925 - 1927

Curator: This photograph, attributed to A.G.A. van Eelde and dating probably from 1925-1927, is titled "De heren Bierens de Haan zittend onder een steile rots"—"The Messrs. Bierens de Haan sitting under a steep rock." Editor: My initial impression is… stillness. It's almost geological in its quietude. The stark monochrome adds to that feeling. Two figures, almost dwarfed, but definitely… there. A really strange portrait. Curator: Indeed. The two figures, presumably the Bierens de Haan brothers, are positioned in stark contrast to the immensity of the rock face. The photograph itself is a gelatin silver print, and that medium gives it this incredible tonal range. The monochrome reinforces a sense of timelessness. It almost invites reflection on scale – the ephemeral nature of human existence against the enduring presence of landscape. Editor: You’re right, the rock is absolutely ancient, while they are caught, pinned almost like butterflies, even though they’re living. They almost become part of the rock face themselves. There’s such a loneliness to it too, a vastness that's strangely intimate at the same time. Curator: There’s also the contrast in their clothing; they're formally dressed in light-colored garments which sharply distinguishes them from the darkness of the rock behind them. I’m drawn to this because in Western art the symbolism of light traditionally represents divinity and truth while darkness often corresponds to evil, the underworld and shadows, implying a sense of the human struggle against a greater unknown. What is knowledge? Where does it come from? How long does it last? It seems like it is questioning what their existence actually is against nature's eternity. Editor: Wow, yeah! A dialogue across deep time… it’s less a portrait and more like a stage. This austere environment somehow amplifies a feeling of contemplation. It pushes the two figures into themselves. There’s something almost existential about this tableau… a raw and honest feel! Curator: Perhaps van Eelde was making a statement on the transient nature of human ambition in contrast with the unwavering consistency of nature, capturing a subtle narrative of existential placement and scale. Editor: And it all starts with that single shared moment captured in a time that stretches from then to, well, right now. Just incredible.