Portret van Neeltje van Ammers 1908 - 1915

This is a photograph of Neeltje van Ammers by Johannes Laurens Theodorus Huijsen. Look at the tonal range, from light grey to darker brown, almost sepia. I imagine the photographer in their studio, tinkering with light and chemicals, coaxing the image into being. They may have been thinking about how to capture Neeltje’s essence, her calm expression, and her carefully arranged hair. The surface is so smooth, so unlike paint. Yet, there’s a kind of painting happening here, too, with light instead of pigment. Notice the soft focus around the edges, like a gentle wash of watercolor. It reminds me that artists are always experimenting, always finding new ways to see and represent the world. We’re all in this big conversation, you know? We're just tossing ideas back and forth across time.