Altenberg (Ertsgebergte) 1923

Leo Gestel created this print, Altenberg, depicting a snow-covered village in the Ore Mountains using etching and aquatint. See how the church steeple and roofs heavy with snow evoke a familiar feeling of winter's embrace and isolation. The prominent presence of the church, a beacon in the landscape, suggests a community deeply rooted in faith. The steeple, reaching towards the heavens, has echoes in art history as far back as the medieval period, representing a connection between the earthly and divine. The figures trudging through the snow remind me of Bruegel’s winter scenes, where ordinary people navigate the harsh realities of life, yet there is an underlying sense of resilience. The recurring motif of the journey, a symbolic quest through life's trials, connects us to timeless narratives of human experience. It evokes a collective memory of endurance and the cyclical nature of seasons and life itself.