A 2019 work in oil, Samuel Bak’s "War is Over" is a testament to Europe’s strength following the end of the Second World War. Visually, the painting depicts a community and its surrounding town in deterioration, likely following an act of violence against them. Despite the evidence of brutality and pain, the citizens among the rubble and damaged homes present a tight-knit community that, with the help of each other, has withstood this act of aggression. Bak has made it clear that, although the damage in this scene is palpable, the “victims” of the offense are still standing. In regards to destroying the community and its people, the attack has been unsuccessful.
In a testament to the religion’s perseverance, "War is Over" captures the enduring strength of Europe’s surviving Jews and Jewish culture and their ability to come together and rebuild following the end of World War II and the Holocaust.
In terms of Bak’s technical work within this piece, there is a rather oppressive quality to Bak’s clouds here; the opaque and yellowed coloring bears down on you and leaves you to question what has been burnt. Bak’s depiction of smoke also extends to the painting a rather ephemeral quality, as if the air present in this scene is constantly cycling out and fading into the sky each second. His signature blues appear muddled and unclear, giving way for a strong emphasis on the yellow and reds within the palette. Bak’s brushwork continues through the painting as he builds a world within his mix of minuscule and detailed brushstrokes.
Lucy McGing (Guest Writer)
BAK a Day, November 26, 2023
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Of course it is not over.
It seems that each generation has its own wars. As if humanity cannot exist without war. Without the desire to destroy and oppress others.
When we exhibited this work for the first time the global background was Putin's war in the Ukraine. Bak painted this work well before but he had reproduced the images on Television of the bombed and destroyed houses and apartments in Kiev and other cities in Ukraine.
The scale of the horror continues daily. More death and more devastation and to what end. Putin appears on Television to continue to lie. The air waves continue to be poisoned by the hangover from the previous administration and the enshrined license to lie and lie and lie.
Bak’s art continues to alert us to the toll of the evil acts. We must find effective ways to prevent the killing and the deception. Respect and thoughtful openness can be encouraged with Bak’s art at the core.
If only all war was over.
Bernard H. Pucker, BAK a Day, January 8, 2023
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But is the War ever over?
With the Ukraine and the never-ending need of one people to conquer and oppress another.
The scenes of the initial destruction caused by the Russian rocket and missile fire resonates with Bak’s paintings
A few gathering of survivors stand around as the massive, a destroyed chimney crushes the buildings, and the skies are filled with smoke of intended death and destruction.
Questions abound and the answers are unacceptable.
Why? To what end? Who shall live? Who shall die?
And the prophetic vision of the artists becomes the reality.
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