Wednesday, April 09, 2014

World Cup '74 Portrait #20 (Reinhardt Lauck: East Germany)

Today the opposite of tomato is the coast of Nebraska 
 
graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour/30x21cm

This latest randomly-chosen portrait subject is Reinhard(t) Lauck, who was represented in both the FKS & Panini 1974 World Cup commemorative sticker albums & selected for the official East Germany squad for their first &, alas it transpired, only Finals, where he went on to play, apparently with distinction, in the historic 1 – 0 victory in the first-ever ‘political derby’ against West Germany, & the two subsequent matches, in the Second Round group stage, defeats to Brazil (0 - 1) & then Holland (0 – 2), when he was substituted, in the 64th minute of both.

Having died young, in 1997, Lauck is one of a particular kind of ‘ghost’ of World Cup ’74 that inhabits this drawing project, intensified in this instance by the cessation-to-be of the very state he represented, even if it &/or its sporting institutions has far from disappeared from consciousness or memory, of course.

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