Duitse militairen 1941 - 1942

This undated page from a photo album at the Rijksmuseum is an arrangement of monochrome photographs of German soldiers, mounted on a dark grey background. The placement of the four photos creates a simple grid-like structure, drawing our eye systematically across the page. Notice the negative space around the photographs: this absence is as important as the presence of the images themselves. The empty spaces, where photos may have been removed, create a visual tension, suggesting loss or perhaps censorship. Each image captures a posed moment, yet the overall effect is not one of candid memory but of a carefully curated narrative. The contrast between the personal nature of photographs and their formal arrangement invites questions about control and representation. Consider how the act of arranging these images reflects a desire to impose order and meaning onto a chaotic historical reality. What stories are told? What remains unseen? The formal elements invite us to reflect on how we construct and interpret visual narratives from the past.