Portret moeder met kind op schoot c. 1900 - 1925

This photograph titled 'Portret moeder met kind op schoot' was made by Leonard Vlaanderen. The sepia tones here have a beautiful faded quality, turning the image into something that feels very distant. The light catches the page of the book the mother and child are looking at, and it draws me in. I like the way the figures are situated in the framed photograph, the composition almost imitates an earlier painting tradition. And the sepia tones contribute to this feeling, as does the somewhat stiff and awkward pose. It is easy to imagine that the artist was trying to invoke earlier images of the Madonna and child. The edges of the print have damage, and this imperfection gives the image a sense of pathos. This image reminds me of the work of artists like Gerhard Richter, particularly his use of photography as a starting point for painting.