Portret van een man (lid van de familie Van Heerdt) te paard (ruiterportret), Baarn c. 1900 - 1925

This photographic equestrian portrait of a man from the Van Heerdt family was created in Baarn by Lodewijk van de Winkel. I'm picturing the photographer setting up his shot, probably with a heavy camera, and the sitter in his fancy riding gear, holding still on horseback in front of the foliage. There is a stillness about the composition. But it's the kind of stillness that, as a painter, I understand is difficult to achieve. It’s that careful balance that can make or break a painting or photograph. And I can see how the greyscale is so important here, how the artist has arranged this limited palette to capture the velvety coat of the horse, the sheen of the man’s riding boots, and the soft focus of the leaves behind them. It’s an image with lots of detail, but what’s so brilliant is that it feels relaxed at the same time. It shows us how much is possible with a photographic lens.