Treatise by Lynn Goldstein, Volunteer, National Portrait Gallery. Mixed Media, 66 x 27.5 inches, 2013
“Treatise”
Lynn Goldstein
Volunteer, National Portrait Gallery
Mixed Media
66 x 27.5 inches
2013
“Treatise” is a piece of art made to commemorate the Holocaust
The twelve books used, the number symbolizing the twelve tribes of Israel, represent everyday objects. The intact book covers hide damage to the pages inside, like a mask hiding the wounds the Holocaust caused. The books are printed in various languages (Polish, Russian, German, Italian, French, and Yiddish) because the people affected by the Holocaust were not foreign enemies, but were citizens of the very governments that failed to protect them.
In Judaism, the tree represents not only life but also the Jewish written law (or Torah). The tree drawn on the book covers is either dead or dormant, and its fractured nature represents lives that were broken during the Holocaust. Hope is not altogether absent, however, symbolized by the sapling depicted on the cover of the Yiddish book in the lower right corner.
After a person attends a Jewish funeral and gravesite, it is traditional to wash one’s hands before entering the home of the bereaved. The pitcher, bowl and towel symbolize this.
