“A
statue of a prisoner, Auschwitz 1940-45.” This little sculpture was found after
the war on the grounds of the camp. The sculptor is unknown. Although the head
of the figure has only partly survived, the sculpture’s character remains fully
intact.
While
I was looking at different pictures in the Forbidden Art Exhibit, this
sculpture caught my attention. It is about a person without his head “looking”
at his own shadow in an open area. What has happened to him? What is he
thinking about?
The
horrible conditions of the Auschwitz camp led people to the desperation. The figure without the head indeed expressed the
true reality of living in the camp. People could not have their own ideas or
opinions about anything at Auschwitz. They were living in the camp truly like a
person living without a head. They could not make any decisions for themselves.
Their heads, like their freedom, were already taken away by the German
soldiers.
Most
of the people at Auschwitz had ceded their lives to fate. The horrible camp
conditions brought desperation into people’s hearts. However, even though
living in such horrible conditions, the artist who carved this sculpture still
found a way to use his creative gifts as self-expression. It is like the
un-extinguished candle shining in the darkness that gives people a glimmer of
hope. Even though we do not know the sculptor, we can tell that his creative
actions helped him to transcend or overcome all the difficulties and desperation
that he had at Auschwitz.
Living
in the camp or prison, people did not have freedom of speech, but they still
had different ways to express their inner feelings.
To
bend to the fate or to stand for freedom? The sculptor already made his choice
by practicing his creative gifts as self-expression.
What a thoughtful reflection, John. I especially like, "It is like the un-extinguished candle shining in the darkness that gives people a glimmer of hope." Their art was one way to reclaim their humanity.
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