Duitse familie 1943 - 1944

Editor: This piece, titled "Duitse familie" or "German Family," was made by Werner Neufang between 1943 and 1944, using watercolor on paper. The pale photos give me a nostalgic feeling, almost like looking through a faded scrapbook. What do you see in this work? Curator: It is interesting how the artist uses watercolor, traditionally associated with landscapes and still-lifes, to depict photographic memories, invoking a cultural memory that's deliberately nostalgic. But consider: during the years it was created, nostalgia takes on a particular weight. How do these personal photos resist or conform to the idealized image of family during wartime? Editor: I hadn't thought about the wartime context so directly, but I can see that tension now. There is a contrast between the personal and the expected representation of the family unit. Is there any further intention reflected in the handwriting styles or use of color? Curator: Absolutely. Notice the handwritten notes. "Zu Hause," "Die Eltern"—these captions act as anchors, grounding these images in a specific narrative. Handwriting, particularly during this era, becomes an intimate, personalized archive. Also the color, did the artist consciously selected blue, to communicate trust, loyalty and wisdom, a virtue so yearned for at the time? Or the vibrant, red denoting passion. What emotion do they convey together, within you? Editor: Seeing them as emotional anchors is useful, highlighting both longing and subtle cultural defiance in such a restrained medium. It really opens it up to considering layers of intended meaning. Curator: Precisely! It reminds us how seemingly simple snapshots can be laden with complex, culturally coded narratives.