Wehrmachtsoldaten aan het ontbijt 1940 - 1945

Editor: So, here we have an intriguing gelatin silver print titled 'Wehrmachtsoldaten aan het ontbijt,' taken sometime between 1940 and 1945 by an anonymous artist. Seeing these soldiers casually eating, almost as if they're on a camping trip… it feels unsettlingly normal. What do you make of it? Curator: Unsettling is precisely the right word, I think. This image walks a tightrope, doesn’t it? It’s a slice of quotidian life set against a backdrop we know was anything but. Look at the composition; the natural, almost pastoral setting juxtaposed with the implicit military presence, the very specific time period. Do you notice the trees, they could easily suggest the barren battlefields where countless lives were tragically lost during WW II? There is no real sky here... Editor: Yes, I hadn't thought of it that way - and it does hint to the lack of hope in those trying times. How does this play into a German Expressionist and Realist reading? Curator: Ah, clever of you to point that out! We can think about realism in terms of this pursuit to reveal some kind of ‘truth’. The quest to reveal harsh, but often invisible conditions… Perhaps even the photographer at the time – knowing his days may be numbered - wishes to speak his inner feelings about the grim reality he faces by hinting the harsh landscape behind the soldiers. You get my meaning? Editor: Absolutely. The personal perspective in what seems like an objective shot adds so many layers. I guess what I’m taking away is that even seemingly straightforward images can hold deeply personal, and conflicting, narratives. Curator: Precisely! Art, much like life, rarely offers simple answers. I shall mull over it. Thanks for shining light on my afternoon!