Battle for Stalingrad, German Casualties in Soviet Care (II) c. 1943 - 1989

Curator: What a heavy photograph, so many bodies on the ground... it's oppressive, even in monochrome. Editor: This gelatin silver print is by Georgi Zelma, entitled *Battle for Stalingrad, German Casualties in Soviet Care (II).* It’s difficult to date precisely; scholars place it sometime between 1943 and 1989. It depicts the aftermath of a horrific battle, bodies strewn on a field and figures standing nearby looking down. The very image seeps sorrow. Curator: Absolutely. Look at how the fallen soldiers become almost a part of the earth itself, absorbed by the mud and rubble. And yet there's an odd kind of, I don't know... tendernes, shown by these people looking down? They almost seem like they're paying their respects, it's surprising. Editor: Perhaps a mourning ritual for all those who die during conflict, regardless of affiliation. The figures embody an old iconography—the mourners, bearing witness to destruction, not dissimilar to Christ's followers after the crucifixion, looking at His descent into hell and the horror it contained. Even the strewn papers—are they letters?—scattered around like lost words, forgotten promises… symbols of a broken humanity, lost innocence and a reminder to bear witness for this loss. Curator: The papers, letters, maybe photographs, who knows? And that becomes this silent scream of untold stories. The stark realism here is powerful. It reminds us of our shared humanity and capacity for both unbelievable cruelty, yet tenderness for the others suffering the consequence. And these are enemy combatants too, yet they are given care, respect, if not reverence... there is complexity and ambiguity at play here. Editor: It indeed evokes something profound—a visual lament, connecting the past, present, and potentially future traumas in ways that transcends borders or allegiance. A timeless meditation... almost spiritual in tone. Curator: Exactly! We began seeing it, in an instance... that connection across all of history, all conflict and how to deal with suffering, compassion... bearing witness. I didn’t expect a photo of such brutality to be that touching.