Portret van Cornelia Hendrika Nije 1885 - 1930

Here's Evert Antonius Kerkmeijer's photographic portrait of Cornelia Hendrika Nije, and right away I'm thinking about the exchange between the photographer and their subject, an exchange of gazes. It's interesting to think about the choices Cornelia Hendrika Nije made about how to present herself. She must have been thinking about how she wanted to be seen and remembered. There is her dark dress, the elaborate embroidery at the neck, and the simple way she has arranged her hair. The way the light falls on her face is so interesting too. I’m wondering if that was Kerkmeijer's choice, or hers? Painters are always looking at photographs, and photographers are influenced by painting too, thinking about composition and tone. It’s just one big conversation, isn’t it? Each pushing the other to see the world in a new way. And that’s what it’s all about, keeping that conversation flowing.