Portrait of Life

Author: Walter Schels
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-12-01
Features:
As death gradually approaches, life begins to fade, and thoseing on the brink of death face the stark contrast between life and death, leaving behind portraits of the past and the present.
As death gradually approaches, life begins to fade, and thoseing on the brink of death face the stark contrast between life and death, leaving behind portraits of the past and the present.
A doctor who has treated countless patients and saved countless lives often wakes up from nightmares before his own death;
A musician lying in bed is more concerned about his dog, which has accompanied him for many years, than about his family;
An angelic girl, born with AIDS inherited from her mother, longs only to return home and play with her neighborhood friends during her long hospital stay;
A dedicated police officer, unable to sleep during the day due to his night shifts, dreams of shouting "Stop! Don't run! Police!" in his sleep;
A former government official, unemployed after the country's unification, misses his high welfare benefits and complains endlessly;
An elderly man who served in the Nazi army is burdened with worries, remains silent, and is wary of Walter's photography, refusing to mention his past;
German photographer Walter faithfully documented these peopleing on the brink of death, much like a documentary filmmaker. These photographs caused a sensation in Europe, capturing the lives and deaths of scientists, officials, police officers, writers, bankers, farmers, and even children and newborn infants. Regardless of their identities, status, or ages, the photographer's documentation of them always consists of two images: one showing them in life and the other capturing their expressions after death. On their faces, there are resignation, serenity, hope, despair, abandonment, tears, fear, and profound sorrow.
The photographer's motivation for taking these photos largely stems from his harrowing experiences with death during World War II.
During the shooting, Walter used a comparative approach to depict the mental state of humans as they face death. The compiled photographs sold out quickly in Europe, leading to multiple reprints and sparking widespread controversy. However, this series of works won high accolades in documentary photography, including the ADC Gold Award and the World Press Photo Silver Award, and Walter was named Germany's Portrait Photographer of the Year.
01 Six weeks have passed, I should have died—Heinz Müller
01 Six weeks have passed, I should have died—Heinz Müller
Heinz Müller, 71, born on January 6, 1932, first portrait taken on December 30, 2002, died on January 7, 2003, at the Reikam Hospice in Berlin
When Mr. Müller embarked on his final journey in life, the small suitcase he carried with him was not filled with much. It contained a bathrobe, a pair of rubber slippers, his toiletries, a rolled-up aerial photo of West Berlin Station (where Mr. Müller worked until the 1980s), a framed photo of a badger dog, a small shortwave radio, and some casual clothes—clothes that now felt too loose to wear, but why buy new ones? Heinz Müller had come here for death. He didn't think he would stay long: "Next week, I'll be 71. But by then, I might already be gone."
Mr. Müller's skin was jaundiced, and cancer had spread rapidly from his pancreas. However, the tumor still gave him enough time to take care of his affairs. At home, he often cried out in pain at night, and his wife would call for emergency doctors, but even they often didn't know what to do. Here, Mr. Müller received enough morphine in time, and whenever he felt afraid or needed help, someone was always by his side. But he still wished to spend his final moments alone: "I don't want to bother others with this."
The day before New Year's Eve, he moved into the second of the fifteen single rooms at the Reikam Hospice in the Neuk?lln district of Berlin. He unpacked his suitcase and neatly placed the brown leather shoes he wore out on the rack. He wouldn't wear them anymore. At that moment, he seemed much more at ease, almost completely relaxed. "I was afraid I would die behind the Spanish wall of the hospital. You know, the waiting list here is very long."
At the Reikam Hospice, some patients stayed for months, while others only stayed for a day; on average, it was about two weeks. Heinz Müller thought he knew how much time he had left. At one hospital, the doctor told him on the day he was diagnosed that he had six weeks to live.