Portret van een onbekende Griekse boer uit Nafplion c. 1900 - 1910

Mr. L. de Bruyn captured this portrait of an unknown Greek farmer in Nafplion, using photography as a tool to freeze a moment in time. I'm curious about the wall behind him, with its peeling posters and rough texture. It’s like a painting in itself, a backdrop that tells a story of time and decay. I can imagine De Bruyn seeing the potential in this ordinary scene, the way the light falls and creates shadows. He probably had to ask the farmer to stand still, and I wonder what they talked about. Did the farmer understand why De Bruyn wanted to take his picture? What did the photographer want to communicate by capturing the farmer with his walking stick and weathered clothes? Painters and photographers, we’re all just trying to capture something real, to find the extraordinary in the everyday. It’s like we’re all in conversation, from one artist to the next.