
Sequence One-Eyed David (Where to go), 1983, sepia on paper, 74.3 x 55.5 cm
Sequence One-Eyed David (Where to go), 1983
Wake-up call to society: The hand as a form of expression of social conditions, part 2
In the 1970s and 1980s, Ruth Baumgarte repeatedly used the hand motif in her work to memorably depict socio-political issues (see Instagram post from October 12, 2024).
In 1983, the artist worked on a series of monochrome sepia drawings that reflect the Jewish people's eternal search for a homeland with the contemporary debate of repression and powerlessness in the genocide of the Jews from her perspective 38 years after the end of the Second World War. As a result of the debate triggered in Germany by the series “Holocaust” broadcast on German television in 1979, the artist once again mixes her own knowledge and experience from that time with the insights of the present. The title One-Eyed David refers to a poem by the author Werner Völker, which describes the homelessness of the Jewish people and culminates in the exclamation: “ ... when then / Ahasver / will / you rest too?” At the beginning of the 1980s, the great political tensions between the Israelis and Palestinians intensified again, which the artist symbolically outlines with and over time.
The composition of the almost 80 cm large sheet is captivating at first glance: Moved close to the front edge of the picture, the protesting posture of a woman with a headscarf dominates the center of the picture. Bright islands of light effectively emphasize her gesture, especially her hand. At the same time, the artist intertwines the figure with the barren, sparsely populated landscape by virtuously superimposing transparent layers of sepia ink. This time, the expressive gestures are not enough for the artist and she adds a text layer to the image: in the call “Where to”, a pasted lettering materializes directly above the woman's head. The polyphonic gesture of protest is symbolic of the existential hardships faced by many people who are fleeing their country for various reasons.
Ruth Baumgarte experienced political and racial persecution in her personal environment and the resulting reprisals during the Nazi era. Her perception was thus also sharpened for the Sinti and Roma families living in Berlin-Karlshorst around 1942, whom she also depicted in her works as they fled the genocide, contrary to political directives.
The themes of expulsion, flight and migration would continue to occupy Ruth Baumgarte intensively in her comprehensive Africa cycle until the end of her life.