Locomotieven op spoorwegemplacementen Aken en Aken West Possibly 1930 - 1934

This photographic contact sheet, “Locomotieven op spoorwegemplacementen Aken en Aken West”, was made in Aachen on Monday April 21st by an anonymous artist. Arranged against a dark background, we have a series of photographs of trains, studies of form and function. What I love about this piece is the sheer, unadulterated focus on the locomotives themselves. Look at the lower central image, “0-10-0 N° 57.3402”, described as 'our special'. The angle, the light, and the shadow; the dark, oily textures of the train are contrasted with the pale sky. It’s as if the artist wants us to experience not just the look of these trains, but also the weight, the smell, and the power. It reminds me of the work of Bernd and Hilla Becher, with their typologies of industrial buildings – a similar approach to documenting the mundane, yet finding an unexpected beauty in it. Ultimately, this piece speaks to the ongoing artistic dialogue between documentation and interpretation, where the act of seeing becomes an act of creation.