Krzysztof Bielwski

Krzysztof Bielwski Age: 12 1937 Artist: Otto Dix Media: Pencil

Title: ‘Never Forget Look Forward’ Media: Pencil Artist Statement What if one person doesn’t like the style of a certain artist? Why do they need to destroy it? Everyone likes different styles of art and everyone is different, which should not be affected by one person or groups dislikes. I chose this piece as it not only shows the effect on the people affected by war but also, the people that were forced to fight, they had no choice. My piece is about not forgetting the past but looking forward to the future and I want people to see the pain and suffering but at the same time to remember the survivors and the people that lost their lives in the holocaust. This project was based on the holocaust in which many Jews and others died and it is important to make people aware that we should remember them.

Olivia Rodney Age: 13 1937 Artist: Johannes Itten Media: Water Colour

Title: ‘The Forgotten’ Media: Acrylic Artist Statement Degenerate art is full of colour and abstract shapes, the Nazis came up with this term for artwork which did not fit their ideal. I chose this piece because it would be the most banned degenerate piece in my eyes, I disagree with this. I want people to remember what happened and see the people who went through the holocaust. Keep the memory alive is a project that helps people remember and let people know about the struggles people went through.

Monica Esposito Age: 16 1937 Artist: Wassily Kandinsky Media: Water Colour & Acrylic Title: ‘Reaching Out’ Media: Pencil Artist Statement I chose this piece of work out of the many to select from because I love that there is not a clear visual meaning to the abstract image. You have to use your imagination to piece the pieces of the puzzle together. I have drawn an enlarged eye with a women’s figure reaching out. This symbolizes the many innocent souls that were wiped from existence just because they were not deemed perfect. I find it highly important that as a society we should always remember the holocaust and those innocent souls that were brutally erased. They will never be forgotten; we will remember and do our upmost to ensure this never happens in future generations.

Charlie Halabi Age: 17 1937 Artist: Oskar Lüthy Media: Charcoal Title: ‘Forgiveness’ Media: Pencil Artist Statement I believe that degenerate art was used as a medium for artists to convey the sorrow and suffering felt from alternative perspectives on the holocaust, as well as any artwork seen as any artwork seen as inappropriate or imperfect by Hitler and the Nazis. I chose this piece because I felt it showed a very good representation on both the psychological and physical suffering that people had to endure. My piece shows a portrait of Eva Mozes Kor, a holocaust survivor who unofficially adopted the grandson of a Nazi commander who murdered her parents 70 years ago. In this piece she is standing outside Auschwitz wearing a Star of David brooch and one part of her clothing in colour, within a tonal study. I want people to see that Eva has forgiven things from her past, but will never forget. I believe ‘Keeping the Memory Alive’ theme is important so that future generations grow up learning our collective history on the holocaust. That through remembrance, an event like this should never take place again.

Maria Peters Age: 13 1937 Artist: Franz Marc Media: Oil Pastel Title: ‘Memories’ Media: Water Colour Artist Statement In my opinion, degenerate art is that if you destroy them, then you will destroy a large chunk of art history and this piece appealed to me because I like horses. I want people to think about life and death during World War 2. Remember what happened in the atrocities of war.

Lucas Porfirio Age: 12 1937 Artist: Ewald Mataré Media: Pen & Ink Title: ‘I Could be Different’ Media: Pencil Artist Statement In my opinion they should not be degenerate. I chose this piece because I like the shape of it and simplicity. My artwork is about the differences between two boys depending on which side of the fence they came from. They could have been anyone of us but we must not allow our children to ever suffer this again. The holocaust was terrible disaster for all, just because of the opinions of one man and his leadership, Hitler. We can never forget and we must never allow this to happen again.

Cihan Arslan Age: 13 1937 Artist: Ludwig Meidner Media: Pen & Ink Title: ‘The War Terms’ Media: Pencil Artist Statement I chose this piece because it is simple but significant. Degenerate art is the complete opposite of its label to me. My artwork shows that war faces the same way as all the terms. ‘Keep the Memory Alive’ means that you have to hold onto something and never let it go.

Havisha Essoo Age: 12 1937 Artist: Jean Metzinger Media: Water Colour Title: ‘I am Peace’ Media: Water Colour Artist Statement My opinion of degenerate art is that I disagree with its label by the Nazis; I like and appreciate all styles of art. I want people to remember what life was like in the past, especially during World War 2 and the holocaust. Remember what happened in the past and ‘keep the memory alive’.

Lucy Croxford Age: 14 1937 Artist: Heinrich Nauen Media: Water Colour Title: ‘Time Never Forgets’ Media: Water Colour Artist Statement I believe that degenerate art is wrong because no one has the right to take another person’s form of self-expression and say that it is bad. I chose this piece because I loved the mark making qualities of the applied paint. My artwork tells the story of a person’s journey through the holocaust. I want people to remember that it was ordinary people who were forced through the horror of concentration camps. ‘Keep the Memory Alive’ means to me that we have to remember the awful things that people went through purely because of what they believe and then make sure this can never be allowed to happen again.

Sofia Esposito Age: 15 1937 Artist: Christian Rohlfs Media: Oil Paint Title: ‘Brutal Barriers’ Media: Oil Paint & Acrylic Artist Statement I believe that labeling a piece of work as degenerate is wrong as no one has the right to disrespect someone’s self-expression or class it as good or bad. I have chosen this image, as I was captured by the way there is not a definite shape of the flowers, but you can make out what they are due to the rough outline in black which brings the whole piece together. When people look at my response to ‘Keeping the memory alive’ I want them to see the pain and brutality that the holocaust brought, killing millions, young and old. ‘Keeping the memory alive’ helps us to remember the suffering of millions of innocent people went through. Although those who experienced this tragedy will not live forever, we will be able to keep their story alive.

Aisha Hawkins Age: 12 1937 Artist: Arnold Topp Media: Water Colour Title: ‘The Eye of the World’ Media: Charcoal & Acrylic Artist Statement I chose this piece because I think it tells a story with artistic expression. My artwork is about the pain that people suffered and remembering what it was like. I would say ‘Keeping the Memory Alive’ brings memories of people that suffered to make the world what it is today.

Marie Sadler Age: 12 1937 Artist: Karl Völker Media: Pen & Ink Title: ‘Hand of Hope’ Media: Charcoal Artist Statement I feel that degenerate art should be shown more and it is not because of the Nazis. I chose this piece because it stood out to me as being an example of art illustrating life during World War 2. My artwork represents the hope within the holocaust and I want people to see the story in my work. ‘Keep the Memory Alive’ is a way to show that the past is just as important as the present and future, we will never forget.

Holly Marquez

Age: 17 1937 Artist: Max Liebermann Media: Oil Paint Title: ‘Regeneration’ Media: Oil Paint Artist Statement Degenerate art can be seen to vocalize an alternative perspective on society and life; one which was frowned upon by the Nazi party and Hitler. I chose this piece as, although its subject matter is not intrinsically alternative in this way, Liebermann is an extremely inspiring artist who stood up for his beliefs as a Jewish man. As a result, beautiful pieces of art such as this ‘Hunter in the Dunes’ were destroyed and I wanted to appreciate and recognize the choice he made through recreating this piece. My own reflection, ‘Regeneration’, is inspired by Edgar Degas’ piece entitled ‘Landscape with Smokestacks’ which was stolen by the Nazis during the Second World War. In the piece, I have tried to symbolize how the negative memories from the war are being overpowered and regenerated with more peaceful ones. Moreover, the small faint features: swastika and ‘Jew’ serve to remind individuals not to forget the atrocities that have occurred and remember those that have fallen. The theme of ‘Keep the Memory Alive’ is highly important as it serves to act as a reminder to society and future generations the sacrifices and atrocities individuals have faced in the past wars as well as perhaps inspire hope for a more peaceful world.