Untitled (elderly women and couple sitting in restaurant booths) 1961

Editor: This untitled photograph by Martin Schweig depicts elderly women and a couple sitting in restaurant booths. There is a strange ghostly quality to the image. What symbols do you see in this work? Curator: The restaurant booth itself can be seen as a symbol of shared space and memories, while the inverted tonality of the negative amplifies the impression of time passing. The flowers and the telephone seem to amplify this interpretation as well. Editor: The telephone is quite interesting. I never considered it as such. Curator: It is a symbol of communication, but also of a connection to a past era. What feelings does the image evoke in you? Editor: A little bit of loneliness, maybe? It has given me a lot to consider. Thank you. Curator: Indeed, and thank you as well. Recognizing visual vocabulary makes art appreciation so rewarding.