The Pieta as an Artistic Response to the Holocaust in the Works of Jewish and Non-Jewish Female Artists

From Middle Ages to the early twentieth century, the Pieta, a devotional image of the Virgin Mary mourning or contemplating the lifeless body of Christ lying acorss her lap, has been one of the most powerful motifs in Christian art. Traditionally- and it should be emphasised- it has been exclusively contemplated by male artists. In the early twentieth century, changes in European society, and the gradual process of secularisation of this motif not only began to attract female artists to this theme, but also many Jewish female artists. This paper discusses the treatment of the Pieta in works by (mostly) Jewish female artists, created in response to the Shoa. Specifically, these are Lea Grundig, Erna Rosenstein and Alina Szapocznikow, as well as Kaethe Kollwitz, a German artist who dealt with the Pieta in myriad ways. Taking an interdisciplinary approach based on a plethora of methodological tools, such as iconography, iconology, Jewish studies, feminist studies and Holocaust studies, this paper discusses the ways in which the women artists paraphrased the canonical representations of the Pieta, by concentrating on the mother`s suffering and pain. We consider Kollwitz`s very emotional and personal attitude towards the Pieta, whereas with Lea Grundig and Erna Rosenstein we find emphasis on the sacrificial aspect of the Holocaust victims, both religious and secular. Lastly, we will discuss Szapocznikow`s more classical imagery of the Pieta, which emphasises meditation and contemplation