Historic Photographs: No. 1- Liquidation of the Warsaw Ghetto, April 19-28 days, 1943 1995

Gustav Metzger created this work using a photograph and bricks, a really powerful combination. I find myself drawn to the bricks piled in front of the photograph; their rough texture and earthy tones create a stark contrast to the smooth, grayscale image behind. Each brick is unique, bearing the marks of time and destruction, like scars. Look how they seem to spill forward, occupying our space, demanding attention. The photograph itself, depicting the horrors of the Warsaw Ghetto liquidation, is harrowing. Metzger doesn’t let us look away. By placing the bricks in front of the image, he adds another layer of reality, of physicality, to the historical record. It's like he's saying, "This happened, this was real, and we must never forget." I am reminded of Anselm Kiefer, who uses materials like straw and lead to similar ends. Art persists as a place where the weight of memory can be felt.