Twee zeegezichten c. 1930

Here's "Twee zeegezichten" (Two Seascapes) by Berti Hoppe, two moody photographs in an album. The top image is like a dream, all atmospheric, soft light on the water, clouds heavy with feeling. I can almost smell the salt air. It makes me think of what it's like to be inside, making something, trying to capture a mood, chasing after a feeling. What was Hoppe thinking, feeling, standing on that shore? The surface of the photo seems almost blurred; did they intend for us to feel the vastness of the scene? Below, the second image, waves crashing, more contrast, a different energy. These photographs are in dialogue, aren’t they? Hoppe is sharing something essential about being alive. And that’s what painting, photography, any art form, really, is all about: artists in conversation across time, inspiring each other to see, to feel, to make.