This is photographer Hans van der Meer, who published the photobook ‘Hollandse Velden‘ that I admire greatly. A short interview with Hans was published in ‘Trouw’ last May – came across it on a pile of newspaper clippings and other stuff – yes, I have been cleaning my studio. Throwing out stuff that’s no longer needed or wanted may be one of the great pleasures in life …

Anyway, Hans was interviewed about his life’s motto, to be published on a Delft tile (see below). His is (my translation): ‘a photo is a clear view on a riddle’. Hans likes to show a puzzle: is this pass going to score – or not? His overviews of football pitches are meant to capture just such moments.

“The strong point of a photo is its descriptiveness, it’s weak point one’s lack of knowledge. This makes photography an apt tool for asking questions. The fact that I do this a lot tells volumes about me. A lonely keeper in front of his goal on a football field in the back of beyond makes me ask questions about the meaning of life. But I see the humor in it, too. As Mulish said: “It is best to enlarge the mystery”.