Images from the exhibition „Jeder nach seiner Façon “ (Each in his own way),
celebrating the 300th birthday of Frederick the Great in 2012

If we look into what lies behind our enduring fascination with Prussian king Frederick the Great, we sooner or later come to the matter of his strong, conflicted personality. The modern world is divided in its judgement of his character. His side note in an edict became famous: „…denn hier muss ein jeder nach seiner Façon selig werden“ („…for here each must find salvation in his own way”). Today, these words are seen as an expression of Frederick’s tolerance and liberal values, but they only applied on the condition of strict obedience from his subjects.
For a photographic approach, I chose the topic of this king’s ‘Pain and Passion’. Through combining historical and modern imagery, I sought to highlight the conflicted nature of Frederick’s personality, as well as his loneliness, so far removed from any sense of bliss or ‘salvation’, but also his profound, long-lasting influence as an enlightened ruler and, lastly, his ardent desire to go down in history as ‘the Great’, above all through military action.