The Forgotten Bride in the Mist

by Henk Egbertzen

A woman is standing in shallow water, with her back to us. She is wearing a white dress, her hair is loose. A thick mist hangs around her. Behind her is a pale, watery sun.

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It is not a perfect photograph. And that is precisely its strength. The scratches, the smudges, the blurred edges. It feels like an old, fragile memory that is slowly fading. As if you were looking at a photograph that has been lying in an attic for a hundred years.

- She is a bride, but not a happy one. She is a forgotten bride. As if she’s been standing there for years, waiting for someone who’ll never come. As if time has stood still for her.

- The veil is not made of fabric. It looks as though it’s made of lace, or of water droplets that have frozen together. It is translucent, fragile. As if she were slowly dissolving into the mist around her.

- The colours are sepia, brown and old gold. No bright colours, no harsh contrasts. Everything is soft, as if the image were being viewed through a veil of oblivion. - This piece looks good in a hall, bedroom or reading corner. For those who see beauty in imperfection. For those who want something that makes you pause for a moment.