Scheveningen, voorjaar 1943 Possibly 1943 - 1944

This photo album page, "Scheveningen, voorjaar 1943," was created by an anonymous artist, but it reminds us of a collage that's built bit by bit, layer by layer. I can imagine the artist carefully arranging photographs that tell a story of spring in Scheveningen in 1943. The black and white images contrast with the neutral ground to create tonal variation that draws the eye from one to the next. I wonder about the hand that put this together, carefully arranging these images, maybe feeling a sense of longing or joy. Maybe the writing is the artist adding another brushstroke with a pen. It reminds me of other collage artists, like Hannah Hoch, maybe someone we've never heard of or who never got the chance to make their name. Still, it is an artwork that has something to say. It evokes a certain mood, a feeling. So much comes down to a few gestures, really. It's as if the artist is in conversation with other artists, alive or dead, in an attempt to say, "I was here."