Groepsportret tijdens een diner met o.a. Simon Maris en Gerrit Heinrich Kroon 1910 - 1920

Nicolaas Schuitvlot took this group portrait during a dinner, including Simon Maris and Gerrit Heinrich Kroon, with photography. It’s an image that seems to play with light, shadow and form, even if it's not a painting. I am drawn to the way the highlights on the tablecloths pop against the darks of the suits and room. There's this wonderful ambiguity in the details. Are the faces blurry because of a long exposure time or because of the conversations happening around the table? It feels like a snapshot of a moment that’s both intimate and grand. The texture isn’t just about what’s visible; it’s about the implied sounds and smells of the event. There is a sense of life and motion in a still image, the artist invites us to feel the energy and connections between the figures, to imagine ourselves in the room with them. Think of what Cindy Sherman does with the photographic portrait. It’s a reminder that art doesn’t need to be definitive, but it can be an invitation to wonder.