Voorjaar in 1937 1936

This album page called ‘Spring in 1937’ was made by Herman Besselaar. It is a personal photographic record, a collection of memories pasted onto a dark page. There’s something beautiful about the simple act of sticking photographs into an album; a very deliberate, almost ceremonial act of preservation and curation. Look at the way Besselaar has arranged these images – each one feels like a carefully considered mark on the page. The monochromatic palette evokes a sense of nostalgia, each shade of grey capturing a fleeting moment. One photograph shows a woman in a coat standing on a pathway. The contrast between the dark clothing and the light path is striking. It reminds me of the way we use light and shadow to define form in painting. It could be Edward Hopper. Or Gerhard Richter. This simple photograph invites us to reflect on the passage of time, the beauty of everyday moments, and the enduring power of art to capture these ephemeral experiences.