The Act of Art

THE ACT OF ART THE ANT COLONY by JOZEF SZAJNA & KADDISH NO. 6, NO. 7, AND NO. 8 by MAURICIO LASANSKY JOZEF SZAJNA BORN RZESZOW, POLAND, 1922; DIED WARSAW, POLAND, 2008 THE ANT COLONY BEGUN IN 1978 ACRYLIC ON PAPER ON LOAN COURTESY OF THEODORA'S ART GROUP, LLC A Polish Catholic survivor of the first transport to Auschwitz in 1940, Szajna became one of post-war Poland's most prominent cultural figures. His art developed from his career as a director and set designer for theater and often included surreal explorations of the human condition. The motifs in The Ant Colony first appeared in Szajna's work as part of a set design in 1969. Over several decades, he created the series based on his experience of a concentration camp roll-call; the frightening reality of a faceless individual lost in the swirl of a powerful mass. ''The 20th century belittled the human; turning his personality into an insignificant number, a number in the era of genocide .... The Ant Colony paintings portray condensed lines of nameless people. The lines depict the contours of silhouettes devoid of individual characteristics that are suspended in a vacuum, mutual loneliness, and often alienation and aggression." - Josef Szajna • Examine these images closely. Look at the lines, color choices and details. • What do you notice? • What feelings do you get from these paintings? • What words would you use to describe this art piece to a friend? Reflection • Mr. Szajna was a non-Jewish, Polish survivor Questions who spent five years in the Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps. What do you think the artist was trying to convey about his experiences in those concentration camps? • Mr. Szajna named this painting “The Ant Colony.” What message do you get from that title? Does the title seem like a good fit for the artwork? Explain your answer. Torn Paper Collage Gather two sheets of white paper and one sheet of colored paper, along with a glue stick, white glue or tape. • Sit quietly and think about a difficult, challenging or meaningful experience you have gone through, and identify the most prominent feeling connected to that experience. Activities • Tear the colored sheet of paper into shapes or strips that reflect that feeling. • Glue or tape the torn pieces down on the white paper in an interesting design. • Create a title and an artist statement to accompany the collage. Discuss the following question with your family: How can making art be an act of healing? MAURICIO LASANSKY BORN BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA, 1914; DIED IOWA CITY, IOWA, 2012 KADDISH NO. 6, NO. 7, AND NO. 8 FROM THE KADDISH SERIES 1976-78 INTAGLIO ETCHING, ENGRAVING, SOFT-GROUND, AQUATINT, ELECTRIC STIPPLER, SCRAPING, AND BURNISHING ON PAPER ILLINOIS HOLOCAUST MUSEUM COLLECTION, DONATED BY THE FEINSTEIN FAMILY IN MEMORY OF DR. STEPHEN C. FEINSTEIN Lasansky began confronting the brutality of Nazi Germany with his landmark work The Nazi Drawings in 1968. Ten years later, as a response, he completed the Kaddish series, named after the Jewish mourner's prayer. Several motifs are repeated in the series: a figure at the bottom of each print- perpetrators, victims, and survivors-and a dove of peace above; stenciled numbers always beginning with the number six-symbolic of the millions killed and of tattooed victims; masks; and hands in various positions. " ... Most of them have a mask or use their hands, because I am still ashamed when I think of the suffering all the humans made the people endure, I get embarrassed just thinking about it, so I cover my embarrassment." - Mauricio Lasansky • Look at each of Lasansky’s prints. Notice the similarities and differences. What interests you about these prints? What questions do you have? • Why might an artist create a series of prints using similar motifs? Reflection • In your opinion, what are the different messages the artist is trying to communicate by changing the placement, size and Questions coloration of the figures and objects in these three prints? • Re-read this quote from the artist: " ... Most of them have a mask or use their hands, because I am still ashamed when I think of the suffering all the humans made the people endure, I get embarrassed just thinking about it, so I cover my embarrassment.“ - Mauricio Lasansky Lasansky was not a perpetrator or a survivor of the Holocaust. What do you think he meant when he said he felt ashamed and embarrassed about something he did not do? • Mauricio Lasansky was a world-renown printmaker. He specialized in combining different printing techniques to create his works of art. Reflect back on your Holocaust studies and choose one topic, incident or idea that you have found really compelling. Using Lasansky’s Kaddish prints as inspiration, create a collage using a variety of materials. Examples of things you could make, find or cut out to glue Activities or tape onto your work are: • Images cut out of old magazines • Pictures, words or phrases that you write or draw • Scraps of tinfoil, saran wrap, crumpled paper or yarn for extra texture When your artwork is complete, write out a title and an artist statement to accompany the collage. Comparative Approach: Making art can be an act of defiance, a tool for making sense of the senseless, a way to preserve history, and serve as an act of expression and healing. Looking back on the works of Josef Szajna and Mauricio Lasansky, what purpose do they serve for the viewer? The artist? The historical record? To see all of our virtual resources for educators go to: https://www.ilholocaustmuseum.org/virtual-educator-resources/.

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