Study Guide - Menemsha Films

NA-VA.9-12.6 MAKING CONNECTIONS BETWEEN VISUAL ARTSAND OTHER DISCIPLINESPre-viewing1. Very early in the film, in regard to the works of art he created, one of the survivorsstates, “I have to do it without much question; I have to get rid of my memory.”a. How do you define “art”?b. How do you define “memory”?c. If you stated something along the lines that art is a monument to idea oremotion, and a monument stands to remind, then what could the artist havemeant?NA-VA.9-12.3 CHOOSING AND EVALUATING A RANGE OFSUBJECT MATTER, SYMBOLS, AND IDEAS2. In reference to then-18-year old Adolf Hitler’s failed application to the Vienna Academyof Art, one of the artists who was accepted at the same time remarked that, had the tablesbeen turned -- “I would have run the world quite differently…” and Hitler would havegone on being a bad painter.a. We know that Hitler fancied himself an artist, and wanted to collect majorartworks from around Europe and across time. Yet he also censored artists’ workwhich he felt went against his so-called Aryan ideals. How precious is freedomof expression?b. React to the following quote, from the Terezin art teacher, Friedl Dicker-Brandeis: “The most important thing to expect from creative drawing is theexpression of all powerful freedom.”c. Hitler’s raw cruelty unleashed a new kind of artist, who documented the horrorchambers. For an artist, it is impossible not to create. How would you describe afreedom of expression that comes out of oppression and fear?NA-VA.9-12.3 CHOOSING AND EVALUATING A RANGE OFSUBJECT MATTER, SYMBOLS, AND IDEASViewing1. Early in the film, when describing the Theresienstadt ghetto, a remark is made that theentire town was designed for 4000 people, yet 140,000 Jews were crowded into theTerezin ghetto.As Seen Through These Eyes Page 26