Neergeschoten Duits vliegtuig Possibly 1940 - 1945

Editor: This gelatin silver print, “Neergeschoten Duits vliegtuig,” which translates to “Shot Down German Airplane,” is from somewhere between 1940 and 1945. What strikes me is how mundane it seems – almost like a discarded toy on the side of the road. It seems like it almost blends into the landscape. How do you interpret that? Curator: Well, you know, isn't that the horror of war? It’s not all grand battles, but moments like this. A downed plane on the side of the road. And the anonymous photographer, freezing a fleeting instance where the monstrous becomes ordinary, or, rather, mundane. What catches *my* eye, though, is the composition. It's almost a classical landscape... Editor: That's an interesting take! I hadn't really considered it as a classical landscape. Curator: Yes, but with a brutal twist! Look at how the road recedes, leading the eye to the wreck. The way the shadow drapes the plane. Think about Dutch landscape painting – a very deliberate arrangement... with death awkwardly stuffed in. Is that something you're seeing here? And it really gets you wondering about the photographer - did they want to showcase a military loss? Editor: Definitely food for thought. Seeing it framed as a warped landscape painting gives it this weird unsettling, yet compelling edge. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure! Perspective, you see, is everything, darling. Keep looking, keep wondering. That's where the art lives, isn't it?