Wreath in the North Sea in Memory of the Battle of Jutland, c.1936 (oil on...

Creator: Claus Bergen This big canvas shows a large expanse of sea from a low perspective, as if seen from a submarine or a boat close to the water line. In the foreground, slightly to the right, a wreath with a scarlet ribbon, marked with a swastika, floats in the swell. The ribbons trail on the surface of the otherwise empty sea in this eloquently expressionistic and haunting image. The wreath is the only sign marking the graves of sailors killed in war, as they lie unseen on the ocean bed. The colour of the sash could be interpreted as a representation of the universal suffering of war, although the presence of the swastika invites a more specific reading. On the horizon, and on the sea to the left, the sun's rays spread a golden glow over the surface of the water, perhaps signifying either hope for the future or a new dawn under Nazi rule.