Of Human Responsibility

Of Human Responsibility

Von der Verantwortung des Menschen (Of Human Responsibility) a mural painted by Ronald Paris in Rostock-Evershagen in 1976

A poem by Paul Eluard inspired this mural, which included a quote by him at the bottom. The first photo shows the mural as Paris painted it in 1976. Unfortunately, this mural is one of the most endangered pieces of GDR public art. Although Paris used the durable medium of lime plaster, the wind and rain of coastal Rostock eroded the paint. It was not preserved and had almost completely faded away by 2009, when Cooper took the second photo. Still, no effort was made to restore or preserve the mural, and it appears further deteriorated in Martin Maleschka's book Baubezogene Kunst, published in 2019.

Ronald Paris, artist

Jim Cooper, photographer

Flickr

1976

Second photograph: August 2011

Copyright Jim Cooper

Mural

6.3 x 14 m