Groepsportret van Johanna Geertruida, Johannes Diderik en Anne Madeleine van der Waals 1907

Aleidas Christiaan Kunst made this photograph of Johanna Geertruida, Johannes Diderik and Anne Madeleine van der Waals sometime around the turn of the century. It’s a lovely, straightforward black and white, framed with an oval vignette. The tonal range is modest; from the dark socks of the little girl to the grey floorboards. The way the light falls softly, it's gentle, almost like a caress. The children are placed on a rug atop wooden floorboards, and there's a curtain in the background, giving the image a sense of depth. Look how the photograph captures the texture of the rug they're sitting on, you can almost feel the fibres. This piece reminds me a little of Julia Margaret Cameron’s images, the way she used to capture children, friends and family. Both artists share an interest in portraying their subjects with intimacy, and with a desire to find beauty in the everyday. Ultimately, art’s about conversation, about looking and responding, with no single right way to see things, just different ways.