Work Sets You Free

Thought I should change it up a little today instead of going on ad nauseum about my Gender Study work to post this piece from Life Drawing last quarter. Likewise the content is something I'm equally fascincated by being History and specifically the WWII Period. Don't ask me why I'm so drawn to it since it's such a dark time of mankind, but something about it I just can't get enough of. Not only were there tales of immese evil and tragedy but there were also romantic tales of hope and light. Power in the Ashes as it were.

This piece 'Work Sets You Free' is of course the English translation of the famous German phrase that appeared on the gates of the work camps, the rendering I had done here representative of famous gates of Aschwitz. The woman depicted was based from a photography in a documentary book I was always drawn to of a Czech woman that weeps hysterically while she hails Hitler. The story goes (and may or may not be true) but after the Nazi forces had claimed the Czech nation they marched through the streets in one of their ostentatious displays of power and this woman powerlessly wept while she saluted yet knowing full well the next day she was being sent to a work camp. The story ended up being the premise with this image which on the surface looks offensive, but when you discect it there's definitely a deeper meaning. Generally people see the unmistakable gesture and turn their brains off which saddens me.

This piece measures 18x24 on Bristol in various ink washes, this is also where my explorations of pattern and textures began in full force and I hope to keep exploring.