Picking shells 1908

This is a photograph called 'Picking Shells' by Geldolph Adriaan Kessler. Kessler wasn’t messing around trying to pretty things up. This isn't sugar-coated, it's raw, like a visual diary entry jotted down with a quick, efficient hand. The photo is dominated by the hulking shapes of fishing boats, looming like silent giants over these figures hunched on the beach. Look at the tonality, how the blacks and whites kind of meld together. It's like the photo itself is a memory, slightly faded but all the more affecting for it. The figures are caught in their labor, heads down, their bodies forming a kind of rhythm with the shoreline. They are anonymous, these pickers, but their presence speaks volumes about survival and community. There is such an intimacy in the scene, you can almost hear the shells crunching under their feet. This photograph reminds me a little of early work by Lisette Model, there is a shared commitment to showing what’s really there. Art isn't just about beauty, it’s about bearing witness.