Wheels 1942

Editor: We are looking at Josef Breitenbach’s photograph, “Wheels,” created in 1942. The monochromatic composition and the upward angle make the wheels looming and kind of menacing, almost like industrial ghosts. What do you make of this imagery? Curator: It's compelling, isn't it? The wheels themselves are powerful symbols, especially when taken out of their original context. Wheels traditionally represent progress, movement, industry – the very engine of society. But here, they are suspended, motionless, almost defeated against the backdrop of war, captured during 1942. Does this still motion evoke some of the more disturbing contexts from World War II, perhaps referring to the wheel of history which can turn for good or bad? Editor: That’s interesting. The image also has a geometric quality, which reminds me of the modernism movement. Does the artistic style alter or reinforce its cultural symbolism? Curator: Absolutely. Modernism often used geometric forms to represent the industrial age and a move away from traditional values. By photographing these wheels with such starkness, Breitenbach might be suggesting the unfulfilled promise or even the destructive potential of that era's utopian visions. Does it strike you as critical or celebratory? Editor: Perhaps more critical, the rust and monochrome palette gives the piece an uncanny mood. It makes me consider the psychological weight these everyday industrial symbols have. Curator: Precisely! Photography, in his hands, becomes a tool to tap into our collective memory. The mundane transforms into something deeply unsettling, doesn’t it? I appreciate how this shifted my perception from the individual parts to the cultural continuity in our interpretation. Editor: I agree! I’ll definitely remember to think about artistic style in the context of these types of symbols moving forward.