Warsaw Ghetto Art(Group 1)

Appreciation

To gain an understanding and appreciation for Warsaw ghetto art, one must first know, understand, and empathize with the plight and struggles of the Jewish people.

The time period during which the Warsaw ghetto art was created was a tumultuous time as Warsaw and the rest of the world was feeling the brutality of the Nazis and the German war machine. The Jewish more than anyone else were the targets of Hitler German. Even though they had an uprising and fought back, their fate was set.

A person never has to crack open a book or search the web to know what life was like for the Jews in the Warsaw ghetto. Their art is their life story. From suffering death and persecution through the round-ups and liquidation of the ghetto to the decrees place on them by Hitler to impede any enjoyment of life. Every aspect of life can been seen through their art. For these reasons The Warsaw ghetto art is a collection of powerful and immensely meaningful pieces.

History of the Ghetto (1939-1943)

1939: The Jewish population in Poland had swelled to over 375,000 second only to New York City.

1940: On the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur, the Nazis announced Jewish residential quarters would be set up in Warsaw.

1942: Germans murder close to 300,000 Jews, send 265,000 to the Treblinka killing center, and murder thousands more in round-ups.

1943: Germans attempt to begin to clear out and liquidate the ghetto but is meet with resistance commonly known as the Warsaw ghetto uprising.

May 16, 1943: The end of the Warsaw ghetto came with the Germans destroying the Great Synagogue on Tlomacki street.

Warsaw Ghetto Artists

Little is known about the Warsaw ghetto artists and their livelihood.

The vast majority of the artist were regular citizens of the ghetto with some being prominent members of the Jewish community.

Being regular citizens of the Warsaw ghetto, many of the artist like their peers were sent to labor and death camps.

In many instances the Warsaw artists like Bruno Schulz(top middle) and Roman Kramsztyk (top right) were special targets of Nazi officials and were murdered.

Many artist like Gela Seksztaign(top left) use their artwork along with a written will as a final goodbye and farewell to family and friends.

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/release-and-redemption-karl-frey.html

Works Cited

http://fcit.usf.edu/HOLOCAUST/resource/gallery/ghetart.htm

http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?ModuleId=10005188.

http://www.scrapbookpages.com/Poland/WarsawGhetto/Introduction.html