Biography

Discussion

Photography usually starts out as a hobby. This is often the case for many professional photographers, making it sometimes difficult to establish at what point their period of study actually begun. Sometimes coinciding circumstances and initiatives play a more substantial role, as opposed to ‘schooling’ in the traditional sense. This especially applies for Bert Nienhuis. What would normally be considered as his ‘training phase’ in a chronological biography, instead consists of a series of circuitous steps: a study in medicine, attending the film academy, studying photography at the art academy (all ending at an early stage), followed by sound technician work and producing photo stills for film, doing camera work for the television series De Fabeltjeskrant (‘The Fables Newspaper’), and finally ending up in reportage photography.

There were naturally also those whom Bert Nienhuis saw as his role model: Aart Klein and Cas Oorthuys initially, followed by Ed van der Elsken, with whom he worked on a regular basis in the early 1970s. Nienhuis was involved in several of Van der Elsken’s films as a sound technician, but not as a photographer. Nevertheless, Van der Elsken’s overall approach left an impression that can still be observed in Nienhuis’ most recent work. It is this background that has contributed to the fact that Nienhuis’ stylistic development is more or less typical of his generation of progressive reportage photographers. Of course, a development of this kind rarely follows a clear pattern, as this brief overview suggests. In a number of ways, Nienhuis’ first important reportage—produced in 1974 for the Topographic Atlas of the Amsterdam City Archive—resembles his current method of working more closely than the reportages produced in the intermediate period. For the time at which they were taken, his photos are fairly reserved. This could very well be related to the subject at hand, i.e. the Amsterdam Stock Exchange: primarily groups of men in grey suits pictured beneath the towering halls of the exchange building. While a topic of this nature is hardly likely to inspire visual fireworks, it can still provide some insight into the photographer’s conception. For instance, who ever took the time to look at ties worn by stockbrokers? As it turns out, they were wearing large ties covered in polka dots and stripes over their modest white collars: a frivolity that was typical of men who were distinguished in every other way during the 1970s. Such a case in point is by no means meant to be ironic: no matter how insignificant something might seem, such details often determine the documentary value of a photo later on in time.

The series of photos Bert Nienhuis shot one year later for the exhibition De Pijp 1868-1976 presents a better example of photographers’ mind-set at this time. The exhibition was organized by the Amsterdam City Archives in an effort to make the archive more accessible to the neighbourhood in which it was located. Nienhuis photographed the Pijp exactly as it was in 1976: ramshackle houses, inhabited by migrant workers and the elderly. The photos themselves give the impression that no style is involved: they are chaotic and filled with interesting visual details encountered in the neighbourhood. The only similarity with the stock exchange reportage is Nienhuis’ eye for detail. Notwithstanding, this work most definitely reflects a style that completely dominated photographic imagery during the 1970s. It was an approach pioneered by Ed van der Elsken. Its most noticeable characteristic is the random framing, with a keen eye and a swift reaction taking priority over a carefully chosen camera angle. It also entailed the exclusive use of a 35mm camera: inconspicuous and easy to use under all kinds of circumstances. The primary goal was to present information in its totality—it was this that determined the choice of photographic subject matter: life on the streets and popular culture. Photographic and developing technique was secondary. The resulting images are often fairly rough: shot with a rapidly distorting wide-angle lens and printed with a high photographic contrast and a coarse grain. While this style of working has its practical side, it also clearly conveys a certain mind-set: the same approach is found in photographs for which no journalistic restrictions apply. Typical of this view is the dubious sound of the adjective ‘aesthetic’, a term associated with beautifying and pretentiousness, as well as a ‘stoop-scrubbing narrow-mindedness’, as Nienhuis described the mentality of the traditional inhabitants of De Pijp neighbourhood. As such, aesthetics were linked to a kind of ‘propriety’ viewed totally unsuitable for such notions of reportage photography.

Nevertheless, Bert Nienhuis’ more recent reportages on assignment for Vrij Nederland have been made with greater restraint, more selectively—one could even say more aesthetically—than his photographic work of the 1970s. The form is more tightly coordinated and more implicit in its conveying of information. This shift in style has led to some criticism, implying that Nienhuis’ recent photos are lacking in social commitment. This may be seen as a painful example of how easily social engagement can become confused and, especially in the 1970s, explicitly identified with the form of presentation. Bert Nienhuis’ photographic vision and working method, however, are best expressed—even more so than in his reportages—in his portraits for Vrij Nederland. In stylistic terms, they follow a similar development: the early portraits are somewhat theatrical and greatly affected by ample retouching, with the individual in question depicted at a relatively small scale in the image; the later portraits, by contrast, focus more on the individual, portrayed from the top of the head to the waistline, usually with a neutral background. In both periods, Nienhuis produced photos that were unusual, with, generally speaking, the most recent being the most refined. His approach can best be described as displaying a certain reserve when it comes to his subject matter, appearing nonchalant (though not really nonchalant: this is in fact one of the most difficult effects to achieve in portrait photography). Anyone portrayed by Bert Nienhuis appears to be accepted as they are. Most are as well very taken with their own portrait. Within this context, the personal idiosyncrasies, which are always present, soon come into play: a small gesture (e.g. General Rogers’ pinkie), a facial expression, or a slight twist in the person’s attire. Such details become more interesting with the passing of time, with changes in fashion and portrait poses. Bert Nienhuis’ archive reflects a form of portrait photography rarely encountered in the Netherlands. For this reason, it provides an important reservoir of images depicting those appearing in the public spotlight.

Documentation