In de Wehrmacht 1939 - 1943

This is a scrapbook page, titled ‘In de Wehrmacht,’ by an anonymous artist, a collection of gelatin silver prints pasted onto a dark gray page. I’m immediately drawn to how the artist composed this page, the interplay between formal portraiture and candid scenes. Look at the central photograph, the portrait of the Wehrmacht soldier. He stares straight ahead, it is staged, controlled, but all around this image, we see his life. These smaller images are not staged, they give the page a sense of depth. The monochromatic palette emphasizes texture and contrast, each image framed by the delicate perforations giving it the feeling of memory and a past that has been documented and is ready to be reflected upon. The arrangement of the images suggests the artist’s perspective, a kind of storytelling through juxtaposition, almost like a conversation across time. There’s something here that reminds me of Gerhard Richter’s photo paintings, a similar engagement with the complexities of history and memory, rendered through a personal and intimate lens. It’s a humble collection that invites you to linger, to piece together the narrative, and to reflect on the layers of meaning embedded within.