Josef Lidl belongs to a generation of artists whose work was profoundly shaped by the experience of the Second World War. His drawings and watercolours from the years 1940–1942 form a rare and authentic visual record of this period, created directly in the field during his deployment in France and later on the Eastern Front.

Working primarily on sketchbook paper, Lidl captured immediate impressions of landscape, architecture, and military presence. His works combine documentary observation with a restrained artistic expression, avoiding dramatization while preserving a strong sense of atmosphere and place.

A significant part of his work relates to the territories of present-day Belarus and Russia, including locations such as Krevo, Vyazma and Staraya Russa. These drawings were created in direct connection with the advance of the German army into the Soviet Union, including the early phase of Operation Barbarossa.

Alongside military motifs, Lidl’s work also reflects the civilian environment – villages, churches, rural landscapes and traces of everyday life within a war zone. Particularly notable is the depiction of a Jewish cemetery in Krevo (1941), which introduces a deeper historical and cultural dimension beyond purely military documentation.

The surviving works often retain original inscriptions, dates and, in some cases, the artist’s signature. Many sheets are preserved in their original exhibition mounting from 1943, providing valuable context and supporting their authenticity.

Related collection

A cohesive set of 13 drawings and watercolours by Josef Lidl, created between 1940 and 1942 in France and on the Eastern Front, is currently available as a complete collection.

The group represents a compact and historically grounded body of work, preserving its original mounting and offering a rare insight into artistic production under wartime conditions.

👉 View the complete collection