Preekstoel in de Nieuwe Kerk te Amsterdam 1911

This is a photograph of 'Preekstoel in de Nieuwe Kerk te Amsterdam'—or a pulpit in the New Church in Amsterdam—taken at some point in the past. The photographer is unknown, and what’s interesting about that is that it highlights the photograph as a document, not necessarily an artwork. It’s a record of a very elaborate object, which itself would have been made through a painstaking process of carving and construction. What I notice most are the textures in the stone—or maybe it's wood? It's hard to tell. In a way, the whole structure becomes a kind of writing. There are these curving lines and ornamental flourishes that give it a real sense of weight, and depth. It feels almost baroque in its ornamentation, like it has been built up over time, layer upon layer. You can see that the purpose of the pulpit is to convey a message, but also to create a kind of awe and reverence. It's not unlike how artists today use different kinds of marks or gestures to leave their own personal stamp on the world.