Strandleben (trans.: “Beach life”)

The large-scale painting “Strandleben” (trans.: “Beach life”) (105.0 x 120.0 cm) by the artist Rudolf Austen presents countless beach baskets by the sea. Due to their number and the displayed detail, the beach baskets and people reclining on them can be seen very close up, while very little of the sea is evident. The different positions of the beach baskets and the numerous beachgoers, who are depicted in various poses, make the painting appear as a bustle of many independent scenes. Produced in 1981, it was originally bought by the FDGB as decoration for the Buchenpark Bansin. The painting not only presents a fitting motif with respect to its origin. The Baltic coast was also a popular holiday destination for GDR citizens.