Aart Klein, "Untitled"
1958
The photograph I chose was from the photographer Aart Klein. Klein was born in the Netherlands in 1909 and died in 2001. He was a Dutch photographer and for him, photography was "writing with light on a black background." In 1930 he joined a photo agency, Polygon, as an administrative assistant and within years he became one of the most important photographers at the agency. Soon after he became a founder of a new agency, Particam, and taught at the Academy of Utrecht. The image chosen was particularly difficult to find on the Internet, and the book I found it from had no information behind the photographer either. But from my perspective, this image portrays not simply just a ride at a carnival, but the meaning behind the carnival itself: an event to bring people together to enjoy spending time with each other. So when I saw this image nostalgia hit me like a brick. It reminded me of when I was younger, my family and I used to go to the Orange County Fair every summer and the ride photographed was coincidentally my favorite. So this photograph in particular brought back a few memories I wish I could relive.
