Koninklijke Familie 1943

This photograph of the Dutch Royal family sits within the pages of a larger photo album. The image is rendered in monochrome, and through the tonal scale the photographer has captured the emotional tenor of the group. The surface of the photograph is smooth, its material presence defined by the slight sheen of its surface. The image seems to freeze a moment in time, capturing the posed formality alongside a sense of intimacy. The way the children lean into the parents, or how the parents hold their newborn, creates a feeling of warmth and familiarity. If you look closely at the father's uniform, you will see the intricate details that adds depth to the piece. Like the staged photographs of Thomas Ruff, this image reminds us that photographs document a particular construction of reality, rather than a fixed moment in time. It's a beautiful, subtle piece.