Ruïnes aan de Meent met personen op straat c. 1940 - 1945

This image, Ruïnes aan de Meent met personen op straat by J. Nolte is like a ghostly drawing made with light. A document, but also a feeling. Look at the way the light makes patterns on the road. It almost looks like a painting of abstraction. The image documents the ruins, but also, the blurry figures suggest people moving forward, trying to rebuild, and continue with their lives. The surface has such incredible depth. The artist isn't trying to create an illusion, instead, the photograph becomes a way to understand the relationship between documentation and art. It makes me think about artists like Gerhard Richter who explore the connection between photography and painting, blurring the lines between the two. Ultimately, art comes from art, and artists are magpies, borrowing ideas, and reinterpreting them to reflect a world in motion. It is an ongoing conversation through time.