Behandeln, Aufarbeiten und Reparieren durch Kunst: zeitgenössische Darstellungen der vom Krieg „verletzten“ Landschaften Ost-Frankreichs

The first part of this contribution is dedicated to theoretical aspects of treatment, reappraisal and reparation through the arts. The verb “(to) treat” (behandeln in German) best reflects the complexity of an artistic approach which associates creation and reception without neglecting the material or artisanal/handmade dimension (cf. the German word be-hand-eln that refers etymologically to what is taken in one's hand). “To repair”, used in the francophone context, highlights the paradoxical compensation (Wiedergutmachung in German) that art makes possible without disposing the traces (scars) of what has been broken/wounded. At last, the term “reappraisal” (Aufarbeitung) emphasizes the idea of digging out former subjects, which have left, however, physical and psychological traces in the here and now. The second part focuses on Eastern France's landscapes marked by the war and various rearrangements of borders. The special potential of the arts, in the context of the commemoration of World War I, is stressed on the basis of chosen works of contemporary art, particularly from the field of artistic photography.