Under the U2 Eberswalder station, Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg.
It was much warmer on Sunday, so I managed to do a longer outdoor sketch. I picked the metro station of the U2 line in my neighbourhood of Prenzlauer Berg, the Eberswalder station.
Later that evening, I watched a movie on Vimeo I’d been wanting to get around to: the 1990 documentary Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg by Petra Tschörtner. To my surprise, repeated scenes of this very subway station figure prominently as a symbol of this old district of Berlin — starting with the opening clip from which I am showing a still below. The documentary deals with the 3 months of 1990 leading up to the monetary union of East and West Germany. It’s completely in German, so if you speak German or are from Germany, it’s well worth watching this 80-minute film. If not, you may still enjoy seeing the East Berlin of 1990 which was still as it had been under the socialist regime in all its crumbling urban beauty. It’s a document of a pivotal time in German history. But mainly it shows how the people of Prenzlauer Berg, many of them interesting personalities, dealt with the sudden conversion to a capitalist system. The movie shows the people with great compassion and focusses not just on young people, but all age groups. I can’t say enough about how wonderful this film is. Maybe it was not a coincidence that I had just drawn the subway station that appears in the movie.
After the sketch, I walked and biked to Unter den Linden where I saw an exhibit at the Deutsche Guggenheim Berlin on Impressionism. Works by Picasso, Cézanne, Marc, Miró, Brancusi, Kandinsky and others. Small but elite. This is the last exhibit of the Guggenheim before they close. Apparently their partnership with Deutsche Bank who are hosting the space for these exibits, is no longer seeing eye to eye on what kinds of art to feature. Hm, a failing marriage between art and commerce? Say it isn’t so.
A still from the opening credits of the most excellent documentary Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg (1990) by Petra Tschörtner. To draw the sketch above, I was sitting just to the right of the streetcar front, leaning against the railing where it bends.
German meats (liver-truffle paté and head cheese) from the KaDeWe food floor. You didn’t think I got away without buying anything to take home, did you? This will be lunch for several days.
Unter den Linden, the famous Berlin Avenue has its Christmas lights up on the linden trees. I walked along here to see the Deutsche Guggenheim impressionism exhibit.
The Fernsehturm/TV Tower again on Alexanderplatz, Berlin. It continues to be foggy here in Berlin and that provides the photographer in me with some interesting atmospheric effects.
Around Alexanderplatz, Berlin. Having fun with urban reflections as I was walking home from the Guggenheim exhibit.
German meats look yummy. You’re making me hungry too (though I just had lunch).
Unter den Linden trees lighted up look like your sketch! Thanks for sharing the pictures and sketches. I’m vicariously going around Berlin through your photos, sketches and posts.
Sigrid, I’ve read all your entries and explored your drawings and images. I must say it is all very inspiring. I’ve never thought much about the connection between capitalism and art until reading your reflection, something that has resonated on a personal level (where I’m at). I’ve really enjoyed this and look forward to reading more! Thanks for the bright patch in a gray Vancouver day!