Huizen aan het water 1900 - 1922

Curator: Immediately, there's such a calmness about this print; the stillness of the water reflecting those simple buildings creates a mirror world, doesn't it? Editor: Indeed. We are looking at "Huizen aan het water," which translates to "Houses on the Water." This print is part of the Rijksmuseum's collection, dating roughly between 1900 and 1922, and the artist behind this photograph is Robert Julius Boers. Curator: Oh, that turn of the century feel, it really captures a sense of bygone era, of ordinary life elevated. The composition almost seems to float. It makes me think about a time when photography was first capturing and shaping perspectives of the non-Western world. Editor: Precisely, street photography was in its early stages. This is more than just a simple snapshot; it is participating in the colonial gaze and image production in the Dutch East Indies, as it was still known then. Curator: It's so intriguing to consider how this piece, as photography grew into itself, plays into that dynamic of capturing and possibly, romanticizing this seemingly remote place. But what of the lives there, the real existence, behind the romanticised picture postcard? Editor: Absolutely, one must consider that the apparent “authenticity” of such images, like this one, could be subtly molded and shaped by those wielding the cameras. We are left questioning what is recorded as objective and how Boers interpreted the area in that period. Curator: It’s such a reflective, almost dreamlike image. Yet, now knowing that socio-political aspect adds another level of complexity and perhaps questions our role as passive observers looking back in time. I love how a serene scene can spark so much more thought! Editor: Exactly, and these kinds of artworks allow us not only to view different spaces or periods but to reflect upon our role in looking, observing, and remembering through the historical lens of representation and documentation. Curator: Definitely worth pondering as we meander through art and its complicated narrative of the past! Editor: Yes, absolutely a photograph worth our consideration.