Samuel Bak

A few days ago in class, we observed and analyzed paintings by artist and holocaust survivor Samuel Bak. The paintings we looked at were: "Flight From Berlin," "Family Tree 1," and "The Family." Flight from Berlin contains three men sitting in what appears to be a makeshift, childish, "junkyard"attempt at an aircraft. Family Tree 1 features a tree growing on top a small, run down stone building, which is probably the ruins of synagogue, with stars of David stuck on the branches. There is also some new sprouts coming up off the building. I think the withering tree symbolizes the old generation of Jews who died or survived through the Holocaust, and the new sprouts symbolize the new generations. The last painting I looked at was The Family. The Family features a mass of people, some of them deformed somehow, none of them seemingly particularly happy. Some of the people can talk, but have bandages over their eyes; some of the people can see, but have bandages over their mouth. I the very background you can see smokestacks, presumably from the crematory, and the people see coming from it. I think this painting symbolizes the terrible effects of the holocaust.