Vijf jongens in plusfour, Jeugdstormers? Possibly 1934 - 1935

This is a small black and white photograph of seven boys by an artist known as NSB. Looking at it, I am struck by how serious everyone is looking. When the photo was taken, what were they thinking about? Were they nervous? Impatient? Did they understand the significance of the moment? There are lots of compositional choices made here. For instance, the artist must have chosen the location, in front of the trees, and he or she must have arranged the boys, and decided how close to stand. I wonder if the boys had any say in this process? As an artist, I’m always thinking about the choices you have to make, and how all these choices build on one another, so that something emerges which is so much more than the sum of its parts.