Masterpieces – The History of a Period

Displaced Persons (130 x 190 cm – 1977)

A whole village flees the native soil, children, women, the elderly, domestic animals, mothers with their babies, each one clutching his or her most precious belongings, a basket, a portfolio, a carpet, pots or whatever else can be grabbed. A corpse lies stretched in the foreground, a dog draws close to his master, a goat wanders aimlessly, and donkeys plod under their loads. The composition is formed of horizontal lines, with a background seen in perspective representing a town utterly destroyed. The dominant colors are shades of ochre with the warm contrasting colors forcing the attention. The people form a queue without beginning or end.