Twee leden van de Wehrmacht 1940 - 1945

Editor: Here we have an interesting gelatin-silver print, "Twee leden van de Wehrmacht," or "Two Members of the Wehrmacht," made sometime between 1940 and 1945 by an anonymous photographer. It gives off a strikingly casual vibe for a photo of soldiers. What do you see in this piece, considering the historical context? Curator: Well, that "casual vibe" you pick up on really gets to me. I look at it, and I wonder who took it, you know? Was it staged for propaganda, to normalize the occupation? Or was it just a snapshot, a stolen moment between comrades? The banality of evil, as they say... The men themselves, they seem almost like regular chaps on their day off. Don't you think there’s something unnerving about that contrast? Editor: Absolutely! It’s precisely that contrast that sticks with me. You almost forget, for a second, what their uniforms represent. Then the reality crashes back in. Was it common for soldiers to pose so informally during wartime? Curator: Good question. Wartime photography is tricky. There's always a performative aspect, a construction of reality for the folks back home, or perhaps for posterity. But this, this feels different. There’s an intimacy, maybe a naivete. Makes you question the whole notion of good and evil, doesn't it? And think about what they did outside this photographic frame. What were they thinking? Did either one of them even think? That gives me chills... Editor: It really does bring up uncomfortable questions. I initially saw a simple portrait, but now it feels heavy with ambiguity and moral complexity. Curator: Exactly! It’s a photograph that dares us to look beyond the surface and grapple with the uncomfortable realities of history, of human nature, and of our own present too, perhaps. A brilliant image.