There is no such thing as a perfect textbook in which every single page will be dealt with in the teaching process. On the contrary, experience has shown that some topics or tasks are not relevant for the students in a specific learning environment and therefore have to be omitted. This contribution shows that a painting – in this case, At the Window by Hans Olaf Heyerdahl – may be used as substitute material to enrich working with a textbook by linking in with the content of chapters of that textbook, such as “Wohnen” or “Freizeitgestaltung”. As the painting illustrates a student-relevant topic, namely that students are still fond of reading books and/or enjoy daydreaming in various situations, learners are motivated to share their personal interpretations and to agree on a mutual negotiation of meaning.