Isabel Wachenheimer op schoot bij haar moeder Else Wachenheimer-Moos met haar grootvader Meir Wachenheimer in de stoel naast haar c. 1932 - 1937

This photograph captures Isabel Wachenheimer sitting on her mother's lap with her grandfather seated beside them. It's not just a snapshot; it's a composition in monochrome, a carefully arranged tableau of family and domesticity. The tonal range, from the stark whites of the tablecloth to the deep blacks of the piano, creates a kind of visual rhythm. The textures are palpable, from the sheen of the bald head of the grandfather to the soft folds of the mother’s dress. Look closely at the way the light catches the edges of the furniture, defining the space around them. That scalloped edge of the photo itself? It adds a layer of intimacy, as if torn from a personal album. It reminds me of the way we hold onto these fragments of time, letting them speak to us in their own quiet language. Like the work of Gerhard Richter, who also used photography as the basis for his paintings, this work encourages us to think about the relationship between memory and representation, inviting us to see the world not just as it is, but as we remember it.