Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant Possibly 1940

Here we have the Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant, a newspaper printed on December 31, 1940. The texture is flat, matte, and the color palette is a study in monochrome, the blacks and grays allude to the medium of newsprint, the gritty feel of information pressing down on history as it unfolds. It is easy to forget that newspapers are also objects, with a unique surface quality and feel in your hands. Look at the texture of the photo of H. Nijgh, the retiring director, printed on the top right. The ink creates these dark and light tones that render his three-dimensional face, as if he is rising up from the page. This reminds me of Kurt Schwitters and his Merz collages, where he combined found scraps into abstract compositions, also using the detritus of daily life as a medium, embracing chance and ephemerality. The way we read the news is similar, piecing together fragments to form our understanding of a world always in flux.