Matrozen 1943 - 1945

Editor: This is a series of snapshots in a photo album, called "Matrozen," taken between 1943 and 1945, and created with gelatin silver prints. I'm immediately struck by the arrangement on the page. What significance do you see in the composition of this photo album spread? Curator: Note the rigorous placement of each photographic print on the backing page, itself exhibiting surface qualities of age through tonal shifts and distress. We see two different modes of portraiture presented in close proximity; formal group shots with the figures posed and aligned, against paired portraits showing intimacy, with one man holding another closely in an embrace. Editor: It's interesting that you point out the tonal shifts in the photo album, adding to the piece’s feeling of temporality and aging. What does the medium of photography lend to our reading of this piece? Curator: Photography, by its nature, is indexical; it offers a direct trace of the real. These small photographs mounted onto the dark grey surface of the album page suggest the impulse to preserve lived experience. Do you notice how the crisp rectangular frames of the mounted prints contrast the worn, tactile qualities of the album's dark ground? Editor: Yes, the contrast you highlight between the photographic print and its support definitely adds another layer to my interpretation! The differing textural effects that each print renders creates a pleasingly dynamic picture. Curator: Indeed, and through such meticulous construction, a unique narrative arises concerning themes of camaraderie, order, memory, and even love during wartime. The photograph of three navy men standing is an organized, symmetrical photograph. Then we look to the relaxed photographs where these same subjects are openly displaying their fondness for one another, Editor: Thank you! Now, by taking into consideration all of the relationships between formal and casual portraiture alongside their materiality, I am viewing this snapshot into history anew! Curator: Excellent! Remember that meticulous, sustained examination is how formalism invites the viewer to develop a deep appreciation.