"Source," Erna Rosenstein, 1965.

Painter, poet, and Holocaust survivor Rosenstein (1913-2004) had a highly individual style of art that combined elements of Surrealism, Abstraction, the Young Poland movement, Symbolism, and the Grupa Krakowska. In other words, she's very much her own style

This was painted at a time when she was very interested in the four traditional elements (earth, air, fire, and water) and while it's hard to be sure exactly what she was aiming at here, it's thought that it's meant to be a depiction of the primal source of all life and matter. Some point to the ochre parts and say they're like lava flow....but I see some shapes that might be animals. Maybe both?

Whatever it means, it's all good...Rosenstein remains a respected and collected artist to this day.

From the Zachęta – National Gallery of Art, Warsaw.

#Art #ErnaRosenstein #WomenArtists #ModernArt #Surrealism #HolocaustSurvivor

"Fountain of Fire and SIlence," Erna Rosenstein, 1982.

Rosenstein (1913-2004) was Polish-Jewish and also a Holocaust survivor. She witnessed her parents being murdered by the Nazis when they attempted to escape the Lviv Ghetto, but Erna herself survived by hiding under various aliases until the war was over.

Both a painter and a writer, and a significant figure in the Surrealist movement, she was a leader of the Krakow Group, a modernist artists' collective, before and after the war.

Rosenstein's work reflected her times; in the late 60s, when Poland was in the grip of a anti-Semitic fervor, her work reflected that. Here she reflects the turbulence of Poland in the midst of the Solidarity struggle that would eventually topple the corrupt totalitarian regime. Against a background that resembles granite, some sketchy lines suggest a fountain of fire, or perhaps an erupting volcano.

From the Zachęta – National Gallery of Art, Warsaw.

#Art #ErnaRosenstein #WomenArtists #Surrealism #Modernism #HolocaustSurvivor

#Holocaustsurvivor Leon Weintraub: 'We were #dehumanized'

The 100-year-old vividly recalls the hunger, #deathcamps and cruelty of the guards. Thus, he tirelessly works to ensure that the #Holocaust is never forgotten.

https://www.dw.com/en/holocaust-survivor-leon-weintraub-we-were-dehumanized/a-75663240

The Most Incredible WWII Survival Story You've Never Heard

https://peertube.gravitywell.xyz/w/sN6f2vZumsPZXa938n6zUD

Monday, December 15, 2025

https://activitypub.writeworks.uk/2025/12/monday-december-15-2025/