"Im Pott (unter Essen)"

The Gelsenkirchen artist Many Szejstecki born in Breslau in 1931 allows a look into worlds that might otherwise remain hidden through his large-scale paintings. The viewer's perspective lies beneath the surface - the viewer looks from below through the partially transparent ground layers. The real life viewpoint portrayed in "Im Pott (unter Essen)" is close to the "Zollverein" looking south of Essen, approximately 200 metres beneath the surface. Szejstecki, who had himself worked underground as a Steiger in the Ruhr area for many years, allows viewers a look into what might otherwise be invisible, realized by a painting style that fluctuates between artistic presentation and technical drawing. The special colouring of the Essen underground increases the depth layering even further. A similar picture in black and white is a part of the permanent exhibition of the Ruhr Museum in Essen.