Rotterdam een jaar na het bombardement Possibly 1941 - 1945

This anonymous photograph, taken a year after the bombing of Rotterdam, shows the city as an emotional landscape. The scene is captured in shades of gray, like memory itself. Looking closely, you notice the texture of devastation – the rough edges of broken buildings, the fine dust that seems to coat everything. See the sharp lines of the canals cutting through the rubble? They are like wounds, but also signs of life, hinting at the city’s underlying structure. Your eye is drawn to the windmill in the distance; it's an odd symbol of hope amid destruction. It reminds me of some of Gerhard Richter’s grayscale cityscapes, paintings that also grapple with history and memory. Like Richter, this photographer isn't just showing us a scene, but a process of seeing, a struggle to make sense of the aftermath. The photo embraces ambiguity, refusing any singular interpretation.