Of war and idyll, paintings

Georg, In friendly Remembrance, oil on canvas, 138 x 110 cm, 2008

A black-and-white photograph from the private album of the Hoerler family served as a template for this painting. The words: Zur freundlichen Erinnerung, Dein Georg, Mai 1944 (As a friendly reminder, your Georg, May 1944) were written on the back of the photograph by the conscript Georg himself. After having his picture taken in the photo studio in May 1944, he personally presented the photo to his fiancée Erna Fabian (Hoerler’s mother).

Soldier with Plate, Ahmad Rafi 2009, oil on canvas, 110 x 138 cm

The photo that served as a template for this painting was taken by me in 1981 during the Iraq-Iran war in the Persian Gulf. The photo shows a soldier slumped on a tank. The floating plate on the painting comes from my studio in Frankfurt am Main

Landscape – Khorramshahr (Persian Golf) 2009, oil on canvas, 165 x 200 cm

The photo, which served as a template for this painting, was taken by me in 1982 during the Iraq-Iran war, on the road leading to Khorramshahr. The floating vase comes from my studio.