Zerschossene Straße in Corbeny 12 - 1916

Jakob Nussbaum created this drawing of a destroyed street in Corbeny, France, sometime during the First World War. Nussbaum, a Jewish artist serving in the German army, captured the haunting desolation of a landscape ravaged by conflict. The skeletal remains of buildings and bare trees evoke a sense of loss and trauma. Consider, here, the war not as a heroic endeavor, but a destructive force that disproportionately impacts marginalized communities. As a Jewish man in the German army, Nussbaum's identity was complex. He was both part of and apart from the nation he served. The image resonates with themes of displacement and resilience. The lone figure walking through the rubble suggests both survival and the immense challenge of rebuilding in the aftermath of war. This drawing confronts us with the human cost of conflict and the enduring scars it leaves on both the land and its people.