Vier foto's van leden van familie Van den Berg in de tuin van landhuis De Wilde Zwanen in Laren 1940 - 1942

These four photographs of the Van den Berg family, taken by Norbert van den Berg between 1940 and 1942, offer a glimpse into a very particular world through their carefully considered compositions. In each photograph, the subjects are positioned so the light falls across them, like a stage, drawing us into their leisurely world. There’s a tactile quality to these images, from the dark shadows of the trees to the ornate details of the furniture. You can almost feel the sun on the lawn, the weight of time passing slowly. What's striking to me is the way van den Berg captures the ephemeral quality of an afternoon. I'm reminded of Édouard Vuillard, who often painted intimate, domestic scenes of his family. Ultimately, these photographs invite us to reflect on the relationship between photography and memory, and the power of images to evoke a sense of time and place.