A reader made me aware of Stefan Jäger (1877-1962), a Hungarian-born painter who identified deeply with his Danube Swabian heritage and made it the focus of his work, mostly sentimental/romantic/idealized depictions of pre-World War 2 Danube Swabian life in Hungary and Yugoslavia.
If I had to classify Jäger, I would refer to him as the Norman Rockwell of my people, who no longer exist -- at least not in the manner in which Jäger depicted them.
People tend to think that I am of Hungarian heritage, but I'm actually a full-blooded Danube Swabian. Of course, that means very little these days considering that Danube Swabian culture was all but wiped from the face of the earth during and after the Second World War. Since then, the descendants have all but assimilated into other cultures.
The scenes Jäger portrays in his paintings are certainly sentimental to an extent; however, they also provide a glimpse into what Danube Swabian culture was like, something I can confirm from the many stories my grandparents told me.
If I had to classify Jäger, I would refer to him as the Norman Rockwell of my people, who no longer exist -- at least not in the manner in which Jäger depicted them.
People tend to think that I am of Hungarian heritage, but I'm actually a full-blooded Danube Swabian. Of course, that means very little these days considering that Danube Swabian culture was all but wiped from the face of the earth during and after the Second World War. Since then, the descendants have all but assimilated into other cultures.
The scenes Jäger portrays in his paintings are certainly sentimental to an extent; however, they also provide a glimpse into what Danube Swabian culture was like, something I can confirm from the many stories my grandparents told me.
Village Street in Winter
Visit from Grandma
Chatting on a Street Bench
Courting
On the Way Home
Swabian House Concert
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