Duitse soldaten schillen aardappelen. 1940s

This found photograph shows a group of German soldiers peeling potatoes, but who took it and when, remains unknown. The grey tones are really evocative; it's not a colour image, so our minds have to fill in some of the gaps. I can imagine the photographer trying to capture the men in a candid moment, maybe to reveal the unexpected mundanity of wartime? I imagine they sought to capture a moment of shared labor, far from the front lines, finding some solace in the routine task of preparing food. Each soldier peeling, lost in thought, their faces a mix of fatigue and concentration, as if performing a collective ritual. You can feel a certain intimacy, almost like the photograph is asking, what does it mean to peel potatoes together as an act of resistance or perhaps survival? What are these men thinking about? What do they hope for? Ultimately, the act of observing and thinking through the artwork reminds us of the ongoing dialogue between artist, artwork, and viewer.