Watervloed in Zeeland 1906

This is a photographic postcard of the Watervloed in Zeeland, on 12 March 1906, made by the brothers Van Straaten. I can feel that the image is almost tactile, like a painting. Look at how the brothers worked with the light, which is somber. This is how it must have felt to make the image. I imagine them looking through the camera lens to make the perfect composition. This looks like the end of the world. All the tones are the same, and everything has been torn down. The artist made this image by responding to a scene in real life; it’s like a painting. If you’re a painter, disaster scenes like this one can become very important. The painting is already there. All you have to do is copy it. You can make it look the way it is in real life.