I'm reading a book about history of photography and about famous photos. So I came across the story of Richard Peter sen. who was citizen of city Dresden. In 1945 Dresden, the amazingly beautiful city, full of culture was bombed by allied forces with napalm like substance that resulted firestorm that burned the city to the ground and around 25000 people were killed. Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five is based on the event.
After the bombing, Richard Peter sen. returned to the city to find everything gone, He borrowed a camera and took those photos. They are surreal, grotesque, gothic and beautiful, but same time full of horrors.
When we watch war movies, we rarely understand the loss and how close it can be to our home, but when I watched the photos of Dresden, I started to wonder what went on his head during that time. Close your eyes and try to go through your home town in your head, your favorite places and of course people and memories of happy times and then try to imagine all those places as ruins. Not some places gone, but all.
Every corner, every house is gone, just rubble is left. How many friends lost their lives? All memories probably painful from that day on. No joy, no art, no nothing. You can't see any memory without imaging the ruins as well. I can't really relate what it means to be on the warzone, but it's not hard to understand what Richard Peter sen and people living in Dresden might have felt.
And it's amazing what Richard Peter sen did. Firstly he preserved the horrors of the act, but he also created a beauty from a place, where all art was lost. When we lose everything, we need to start again, to build it up again what was lost and that's just what he did. He did what he was able to give. The first art of new Dresden.
Now those photos are world famous and it's part of the photo history and part of art history as well. Just amazing! I wrote the story here, so I can't forget it and one day I would like to learn more about the bombing, about the man and about the photos. Right now, please look the photos and see the beauty and horrors same time.
After the bombing, Richard Peter sen. returned to the city to find everything gone, He borrowed a camera and took those photos. They are surreal, grotesque, gothic and beautiful, but same time full of horrors.
When we watch war movies, we rarely understand the loss and how close it can be to our home, but when I watched the photos of Dresden, I started to wonder what went on his head during that time. Close your eyes and try to go through your home town in your head, your favorite places and of course people and memories of happy times and then try to imagine all those places as ruins. Not some places gone, but all.
Every corner, every house is gone, just rubble is left. How many friends lost their lives? All memories probably painful from that day on. No joy, no art, no nothing. You can't see any memory without imaging the ruins as well. I can't really relate what it means to be on the warzone, but it's not hard to understand what Richard Peter sen and people living in Dresden might have felt.
And it's amazing what Richard Peter sen did. Firstly he preserved the horrors of the act, but he also created a beauty from a place, where all art was lost. When we lose everything, we need to start again, to build it up again what was lost and that's just what he did. He did what he was able to give. The first art of new Dresden.
Now those photos are world famous and it's part of the photo history and part of art history as well. Just amazing! I wrote the story here, so I can't forget it and one day I would like to learn more about the bombing, about the man and about the photos. Right now, please look the photos and see the beauty and horrors same time.