Untitled (man and car on snowy road) c. 1945

Robert Burian captured this image of a man and his car on a snowy road with a camera and film. The gentleman, an emblem of modernity with his car, hat, and coat, stands against the backdrop of bare trees and a snow-laden road. This tableau resonates with the ancient motif of the 'Winterreise', the winter journey, a theme laden with introspection and the confrontation with nature's starkness. We see echoes of this motif in Caspar David Friedrich's wanderers, figures dwarfed by the sublime yet indifferent landscape, and in the solitary figures of Edward Hopper, disconnected despite their proximity to modern life. This image taps into a deep well of human experience—the journey, both physical and psychological. The road, a classic symbol of life's path, covered in snow, suggests a journey of challenges and self-discovery, resonating with the collective memory of human struggles and resilience.