I remember first seeing Samuel Bak's paintings in 8th grade. I had trouble understanding their meaning at first, but after a long discussion with the class I slowly formed a new understanding. Looking back on them after two years, I notice the old information but realize that I have learned so much from this unit. Night has really opened my eyes to new ways of thinking and can't wait to see what else I can learn.
After searching up some other art work of his, I found a site that lined up his paintings and I noticed that every single person had the same look and posture of defeat: head down, back bent forward, and head in hand. The backgrounds are nothing alike, but the same message seems to come up. I have little experience with art that I wouldn't be able to tell you what it means, but I hope to better understand it soon.
Martine,
ReplyDeleteThank you for this introduction to Samuel Bak. I had never heard of him before, but I went to Google Images search and found a lot of his work.
Of course there is a lot of sadness in his work, but I think there is some hope in some of the art as well. There is hope because he lived, because he created, because he spoke to all of us so that this will not happen again.
Do you know why he was so interested in chess or why the chess pieces appear in his work? Did he play or is this a metaphor for people's lives?
Again, thanks. And I guess this is the answer to my question to Ben Lin.