Holocaust Paintings

On Monday we studied six paintings created by Holocaust survivor Samuel Bak. I found it remarkable that he had his first art exhibition when he was only about nine years old and trapped in a Jewish ghetto. The memories of the Holocaust are very much apparent in his haunting images of expressionless, maimed faces and corroded objects. The color palette he chose--dark, dulled colors--sets a melancholy mood.

My favorite picture was "Keeper of Secrets". A huge stone pear sits under stormy skies. It has cracked, with shards piling up on the ground and the middle crumbling away to reveal a key. The keyhole, strangely, is on the pear's exterior. The paint is mostly blue, with a few flecks of yellow or brown in the ground. Although it is a rather simple composition, it holds deep feelings. I think the survivors of the Holocaust are just like the pear. Although they may have hidden locked their memories and hidden the key deep inside, the memories will haunt them and eventually break down the walls and burst out.