“Every person has a story to tell.”

Greta von Richthofen talks about her work as a graphic novelist, and how visual art can help people share experiences about the pandemic and hold memories of that time.

By Faizal Khan

How were you first drawn to visual storytelling? Whose and which works were your major influences?

I started drawing when I was a child. It was something very important in my life. I can't recall when exactly it started; it was always by my side. In school, I was the girl who was always drawing, and so I decided to study it. As for my influences, I read a lot of comics, especially the German ones. It is difficult to say one artist who influenced me, but I was inspired by Art Spiegelmann's Maus.

Tell us something about your works as an author and an artist.

About my style and my point of view, and, perhaps, my personal style of working in graphic novels, I think my drawings are very emotional and funny. There is always a little bit of humour inside. And my focus is on graphic novels and storytelling. I really like to work together with other people.

How did you react as an artist and at an individual level when the coronavirus pandemic hit the world and Germany?

The first time I was shocked. I was travelling during the beginning of the pandemic, so it was really chaotic and I and my family had to go back to Germany. It was a really strange time and I was really afraid. And then I saw it like, “Okay, I am staying at home, I really have time to work on my art projects.” But I was really dammed up and empty. Then I started with my book. My graphic novel, Das Gute am Ende des Tages (234 pages, Jaja Verlag, 2021), documents the beginning of the pandemic from my perspective. The result is a story about my everyday life, distance and closeness, supplemented by recorded conversations in my environment. In this project, I was mainly interested in depicting everyday situations and showing: every person has a story to tell.

What is the significance of visual arts as a form of communication with pandemic-stricken local communities?

In my opinion, it can have different meanings: it can provide distraction and consolation, but also share experiences about the pandemic and hold memories of that time. 

Are there any aspects of Indian culture that you would be drawing inspiration from for your work in Delhi and Chennai?

I think I am at the point where I am starting to learn about Indian culture. But it is only the beginning, and Aashti (Miller) and I designed together. We included some Indian details, and I started learning about animals and their relevance to the society. It is fascinating.