Drie jarig meisje met NOMA (na mazelen), in de handen van de angstige vader. 1929

This photograph of a father and child was likely taken at the Batak Institute Hospital in 1929. It's a simple image, a record of a terrible disease, NOMA, but the stark tonality and sharp focus have a brutal honesty. The father’s gaze is what gets me; it's direct, and seems to ask for help, while his child is in obvious distress. The picture plane is shallow, and the figures are close together, creating an oppressive atmosphere. The texture of the photograph itself, the grain and the imperfections, adds to the emotional weight of the piece. The small format enhances the intimacy but also suggests the marginalization of the subjects, a story of human suffering documented almost clinically. The cropping of the image enhances the emotional intensity. In the history of art, we might compare this to Käthe Kollwitz’s drawings; both share a commitment to unflinching portrayals of hardship. Art here becomes a form of witness, a testament to the complexities of human experience.