Op zee 1940 - 1943

Editor: This photograph, "Op zee," or "At Sea," by an anonymous photographer, taken between 1940 and 1943, is a gelatin silver print currently housed in the Rijksmuseum. The churning water next to what looks like the deck of a ship... it feels almost industrial, cold. What do you see in this piece? Curator: For me, this image evokes questions about labor and industry during wartime. It is important to consider what it means to document the sea through the lens of a ship during this time. Who was taking this photo, and under what conditions? Gelatin silver prints, while seemingly straightforward, involve a complex chemical process, almost alchemic. It's critical to consider who had access to these materials during wartime, and to what end? Editor: That's interesting, I hadn't considered the scarcity of materials. Do you think the photograph being anonymous adds another layer to that? Curator: Absolutely. Anonymity here conceals the specific labor involved in its creation, focusing attention instead on the technology of the ship and the almost factory-like process of moving across the water. Think of the fuel consumed, the physical exertion involved in maintaining this vessel during wartime...it all points to the materiality of war. Editor: So you’re saying it almost de-emphasizes the human element to highlight the sheer industrial effort? Curator: Precisely. The absence of a known author forces us to confront the means of production directly. Look at the print itself – its texture, the chemicals used to create it, the paper it's printed on – each element speaks to a larger system of material consumption and labour during a turbulent period. Editor: I never would have looked at this as a material document of war; this changes everything. Curator: Thinking about art as a product of material conditions broadens our understanding considerably, wouldn’t you agree?