Franz Xaver Messerschmidt, 18th Century German sculptor, created many bronze heads with widely varying expressions. This Bak image shares one of Messerschmidt's raucous laughs.
As each hat is piled one on the next, one feels the pressure of life and dignity, or indignity. The top hat has bullet holes prominently shown. A clear sense of violence or atrocity. Other hats press down on the lowest level as the sound of despair fills our eyes.
Anguish, pain, sudden surprise--all call out to us. How to respond?
Bernard H. Pucker, BAK a Day, December 13, 2023
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Trapped and screaming out. Shot and sinking down. Bak gets right to the point with this monument to the pain, brutality, and suffering of the countless unknown people who have been murdered.
The hat located in the top third of the painting has been shot, is crumbling, and beginning to deteriorate. Between the hat and the mouth, located in the center of the painting, is an abstract cloth wrapping that may be covering their eyes or a gloved hand that is pushing the head down deeper into the ground. The bottom third of the painting is both excruciating and hopeful. One can almost hear the scream from the opened mouth while green signs of life pop up out of the ground.
They tried to bury us, but they did not know we were seeds.
Beth Plakidas (Guest writer)
BAK a Day, January 18, 2023
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An Octet of Hats.
As we have viewed them one at a time, the role of the hat has grown into an entire picture of the civilized and uncivilized world.
The hats were a disguise or an enhancement of the wearer.
The idea that “the Hat makes the Man” is enhanced by the creative presentation of the eight.
The top hat is made of stone and bullet hole riddled. It also has begun to morph into a WWI helmet.
The middle hat, pressed, remains of the wearer and the hat make clear the weight of the top hat.
There is no wearer. All that remains is the destroyed human head.
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![The Man Makes the Hat [Octet 8/8]](/images/wwwArtworkMax/8387_SJ1334_BK2638-(af65cf14-4b96-11ec-8e5a-930015973595).jpg)
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