Monday 12 July 2010

That's my World, ABC Wednesday Z for Zadkine




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This statue is called "Destroyed City", We call it "City Without a Heart"or "A Cry to Heaven". It symbolizes the city of Rotterdam after the bombardment in 1940 by the Germans.The whole city was in ruins.The sculptor is Ossip Zadkine (July 14, 1890 – November 25, 1967) a Russian-born artist who lived in France. He is primarily known as a sculptor, but also produced paintings and lithographs.

Zadkine was born as Yossel Aronovich Tsadkin in Vitebsk, Belarus, then part of the Russian Empire. His father was Jewish; his mother was of Scottish ancestry.

After attending art school in London, Zadkine settled in Paris about 1910. There he became part of the new Cubist movement (1914-1925). He later developed his own style, one that was strongly influenced by African art.

Zadkine served as a stretcher-bearer in the French Army during World War I, and was wounded in action. He spent the World War II years in America. His best-known work is probably the sculpture "The Destroyed City" (1953), a memorial to the destruction of the center of the Dutch city Rotterdam by the German Luftwaffe in 1940.


Zadkine taught at his own school of sculpture. He died in Paris in 1967 at the age of 77 and was interred in the Cimetière du Montparnasse. His former home and studio is now the Musée Zadkine.

The Nazis destroyed Rotterdam on 14 May 1940, without any warning. When we returned from Indonesia( then Dutch East Indies) in January 1946, the town was one enormous ruin and my mum, who was born and bred in Rotterdam didn't recognize anything of it.


That's my World is hosted by Klaus,Sandy,Ivar,Wren,Fishing Guy & Louise - a Team of experienced bloggers, whom we thank for this wonderful meme. You can see more of the world of other bloggers by clicking on the logo in the side bar or on that's My World



With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar or Here. This week we are looking for words beginning with Z.

32 comments:

Patty said...

Sad sculpture and reminder. Have a wonderful week.

Vicki Lane said...

a powerful work...

The Weaver of Grass said...

This is such a powerful statue Wil - these things happened a long time ago but there are still people around who remember and it is important never to let it be forgotten.

Sylvia K said...

A powerful sculpture indeed, Wil! And a very sad reminder of the horror of those years, but we must never forget lest it happen again. Have a wonderful week!

Sylvia

Jeannette StG said...

Zadkine is one of my favorite sculptors! Last time in Rotterdam our friends who were hosting us, tried to find it for me...but they couldn't!

EG CameraGirl said...

This is a marvelous sculpture. I didn't realize the Nazis destroyed Rotterdam. Thank you for that bit of history.

Indrani said...

Great art work, what a powerful reminder. It was interesting knowing about this great sculptor.

Cloudia said...

You are a beacon, Wil



Aloha from Hawaii, dear friend :)

Comfort Spiral

BraCom said...

Mooie foto's van het standbeeld!

Miss_Yves said...

Une oeuvre puissante.
Le clair -obscur accentue son côté dramatique.

Miss_Yves said...

www.dailymotion.com/video/x8v79t_zadkine-sur-papier-derniers-jours_creation

De nouveau, une magnifique bannière, en accord avec votre sujet.

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

I was listening to the news today, about the Haiti earthquarke, and the President said, "They rebuilt Europe didn't they?"

So they did rebuilt Europe. But sculptures like this is a very powerful message.

I woke up at 6.30am to watch the final. It was very cold so we wrapped up warm. I was secretly supporting the Dutch because my husband supported the Spanish.

Now I know who Robben is, Too bad that Holland didn't win.

Elisabeth said...

A sad reminder Reader Wil, but a wonderful piece of art to rise from the ashes.

mrsnesbitt said...

Wow! We must look this up next time we come over!
Thanks for being part of the fun each Wednesday! Round 7 - Bring it on!

Denise
ABC Team

Hildred said...

Yes, a sad reminder of those years of horror and sacrifice, but we need these constant reminders Lest we Forget.

Mara said...

I've driven past this statue, but have never stopped to look at it properly.

Tumblewords: said...

A sad reminder. The sculpture speaks worlds. Thanks for sharing this poignant piece!

Leslie: said...

I'd never heard of this sculptor before but it's an amazing work of art.

anthonynorth said...

A deservedly powerful sculpture. I wonder if remembering such things will one day stop us repeating them.

photowannabe said...

A very sad but passionately strong sculpture. thanks for the information and what it stands for. This must never happen again.

Gayle said...

I always enjoy your informative posts. The statue against the colors of the sky is beautiful.

Unknown said...

Oh. This made me so very sad. How terrible for your Mom to have to witness. The statue is amazing.

Always love visiting you on Wednesdays. You teach in such a fun way!

Roger Owen Green said...

let me state the obvious - war is stupid. we may think it necessary but it's still humanly illogical.

ROG, ABC Wednesday team

Paula Scott Molokai Girl Studio said...

Wow. How sobering and profound. We should never attempt to forget these atrocities. I can only hope that we learn from them.
C U in 7!

Amy said...

Thank you for introducing me to this artist - such a powerful work - the silhouette shot is especially dramatic. I agree that we should never forget and thank goodness for artists like Zadkine to reinforce the message.

Carolyn Ford said...

Simply amazing sculpture! I can hardly bear to think of what those years were like...what tragedy. Beautiful post...

Jay said...

I don't much care for this type of sculpture, but it suits the subject, and Zadkine sounds like a very interesting man.

It must have been such a shock to come home to a destroyed city. My mother was in London when the bombing was going on (she was a nurse) and it was greatly damaged, though not destroyed. She still has tears in her eyes when she speaks of it.

Linda Bob Grifins Korbetis Hall said...

lovely places to explore.

Dina said...

Wil, I grew up in America just after that war. Maybe that is why I just can't grasp what you tell about Rotterdam. :(

Vagabonde said...

Je n’ai pas encore été au musée Zadkine de Paris. C’est à coté des jardins du Luxembourg mais quand j’y suis allée en novembre dernier il était trop tard, et il fermait. La statue de Rotterdam est magnifique.

I know what your mother felt – my mother said that when she went back to Normandie after the war, it was the same thing, ruins everywhere and hard to recognized anything.

SandyCarlson said...

Gripping sculptures!

Kay said...

If only we could end wars... hatred... violence...