Wehrmacht soldaat voor een huis 1940 - 1941

This black and white photograph, by an unknown artist, shows a Wehrmacht soldier standing in front of a house. The textures in this piece are really interesting. There’s a smoothness to the soldier’s uniform, which contrasts with the roughness of the brickwork and the snow. It’s like the picture is creating a dialogue between the hard, constructed world and the softer, more transient natural world. Look at the light flare on the right side of the image; it is almost dreamlike. It could be a mistake, something from the developing process, but it feels so deliberate. Like the artist is saying, “I’m here, I’m part of this, too.” This photograph reminds me of a Gerhard Richter piece, not in subject matter, but in how it captures a moment with a raw, almost accidental beauty. It shows how art can be a conversation across time, where an image invites us to see, feel, and question the world around us.