Gezelschap met zuidwesters tijdens storm en regen aan boord van zeilschip c. 1925

This black and white photograph by Hendrik Herman van den Berg shows a group of men on what looks like a very soggy boat. I can almost feel the spray on my face looking at it. What was it like to be Van den Berg, watching this scene, trying to capture something of the moment, the weather, the boat rocking? Did the image emerge quickly or did it take time to get the subjects in position? The overcast sky makes the picture look very gray. Despite this, I get a strong sense of movement as the flag at the mast billows in the wind. The artist’s focus on capturing this stormy moment really draws me in. Painters and photographers are always having a dialogue across time. Each one learns and borrows from those who came before. Making art is an ongoing process of trying, failing, and starting again. This piece to me is about the artist’s ongoing search to make something new from the familiar, capturing a split-second of life on the ocean.