Anna Yeadell searches for the artist of a painting she has admired since she first saw it in her grandparents’ house. Her quest leads her to Germany and a poignant meeting with 90 year old artist Ursula Pusch-Wennrich.

I have a painting hanging on my living room wall. It's called 'The Girl at the Window'. With its contemporary lines, it's a striking work of art - the girl has such a simple face, but she's beautiful, standing there in the window with her hands to her head. Left to me by my grandmother; it had been painted in 1959 by her friend Ursula Pusch-Wennrich.

There was always a mystery about who Ursula was. No-one really knew anything about her other than when the Second World War ended, she came to West Germany as a struggling artist from somewhere in the East.

I discovered that Ursula was still alive, living in a village just outside Bonn. At almost 91 years old, Ursula was still painting. So with a carefully wrapped 'Girl At the Window', I drove to Germany to meet Ursula. It was there she revealed to me the story of her life.

Life in Postdam
Ursula was born in July 1914 in Potsdam, just southwest of Berlin, and it was here that she lived with her husband and young son, Hansi. When the Second World War came to Germany it brought with it many changes to Ursula's life. Her husband was called up to serve with Potsdam's river police, leaving the family business - a bookshop - to be run by Ursula.

Most people know Potsdam as the town where the Allies signed the agreement that split defeated Germany into four zones of occupation. But only a few months earlier in April 1945, more than 5,000 civilians died as British planes bombed Potsdam and neighbouring Berlin.

"Potsdam was a lovely place," says Ursula. "It's a shame the British bombed it. My husband was in his unit at the river police and was killed. These things you never forget, like the morning I ran through burning Potsdam to see where my husband was and then I found him. One life was finished and another life began".

Germany was divided amongst the Allies and Potsdam now fell under communist control. According to Ursula "the German communists were just as bad as the Nazis - we just went from one dictatorship to the next dictatorship."

 
Over the Green Border
As the economy in East Germany failed, conditions worsened. Citizens began fleeing in huge numbers to the West, and in an attempt to stem the flow the Russians closed down the borders. Ultimately this led to the building of the Berlin Wall.

In the early days, security wasn't so tight. While still dangerous, certain areas were considered easier crossing points. These areas became known as the Green Border. It was via one such point that Ursula sent her young son to safety, to live with his grandmother in West Germany.

Although it was a heart-wrenching decision to be separated from her son, Ursula was relieved to know that Hansi was safe. It was about this time that Ursula came into contact in Berlin with Sir Christopher and Lady Steele. Sir Christopher was a British diplomat in West Germany, and he and his wife were to change Ursula's life forever.

"The Steeles were really a godsend for me, because Lady Steele took a liking to me. It's a miracle and I still don't understand it, but she managed to get me out of Potsdam. Her husband wrote an official letter stating that they had decided that I would go there and paint their daughter, and so that was the sign for me to leave everything and go away".

Leaving home
Ursula crossed the border to a new life in West Germany. Not only did the Steeles give Ursula a job at the embassy, but through their many contacts Ursula was able to find an outlet for her talents in the form of portrait painting for members of the diplomatic community in Bonn.

Near the end of the 1950’s my grandparents met Ursula. My grandfather belonged to the Control Commission in Bonn - this was the administration in the British zone of Germany set up after the Second World War. He and my grandmother remained in Germany until 1977 and it was here that Ursula and my grandmother became friends.

During this time Ursula was commissioned to sketch the portraits of my father and his brother and sisters, and then, in 1959, 'The Girl at the Window' took shape. Ursula told me she remembers painting the picture. Seeing it again after more than 40 years, Ursula said "the whole past stood up with her!"

'The Girl at the Window' has been with me for most of my life. She's a link to my past, to my grandparents, to my family's history. This painting that hangs on my wall is just one of many that Ursula has painted over more than 60 years. In her 91st year, painting remains her passion.

The Girl at the Window was produced and presented by Anna Yeadell. The documentary was originally broadcast in May 2004.