Portret van Bernhard van Lippe-Biesterfeld en Irene, prinses der Nederlanden Possibly 1941

This photograph of Bernhard van Lippe-Biesterfeld and Irene, princess of the Netherlands, now in the Rijksmuseum, was made by an anonymous artist. It's fascinating how a photo, which seems so straightforward, can be such a puzzle of light and shadow. The grayscale flattens everything, but it also allows us to focus on the textures. Look at the way the light catches the lenses of Bernhard's glasses, or the soft, almost blurred edges of Irene’s hair. The process is not concealed; you can imagine the photographer adjusting the focus, waiting for the right moment. There’s a particular spot, just above Irene’s left eye, where the light seems to linger, giving her an almost ethereal quality. Thinking about other artists, I'm reminded of Gerhard Richter's blurred photographs. Both Richter and this anonymous photographer seem interested in how the mechanical process of image-making can reveal hidden layers of reality, inviting us to see beyond the surface. It’s all about embracing the ambiguity, and letting the image speak in its own way.