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| Naomi Blake at her home in Muswell Hill, London |
Naomi Blake is now well into her nineties. She
was born in Czechoslovakia in 1924, the youngest of ten children and was
an Auschwitz survivor as a child. Her original name was Zisel, which means
'sweet'. In 1948 she changed her name to Naomi. Naturally her experience of
the Holocaust has been a major influence on her work as a sculptor but her
output has had the recurring theme of optimism, hope for a better future and
the promotion of understanding and goodwill between those of different faiths
and backgrounds. Her story is remarkable. She lost most of her extended family,
only eight out of 32 surviving and, during one of the Nazi death marches to the
Baltic she made "a dash for it" escaping through deep snowdrifts and
made her way back to her former village only to find her home destroyed.
From there she made her way, via Milan and Rome to Jerusalem in Palestine where
she joined a Jewish defence group. She became a commander of 100 female
soldiers and was injured by shrapnel from fighting the British, a piece of
which is still in her neck. Eventually she moved to London for medical
treatment where she met and married a German refugee, Asher Blake.
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| "The Refugee", Naomi Blake, Bramcote Memorial Garden, Nottinghamshire, England |
She trained at the Hornsey School of Art and after starting
with ceramic pots she moved through portrait sculpture, figurative and
abstract work before moving back to introducing figurative aspects. She was
largely influenced by Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth.
She
began exhibiting in 1962 and has work in (or more likely outside of) many Cathedrals,
universities, galleries, Churches and Synagogues in the UK and around the
world. |
| "View", 2002, Fitzroy Square Garden, London |
Her work is consistently optimistic and forward-looking. The
Prince of Wales and his late grandmother, the Queen Mother, had pieces of her
work in their private collections. Her daughter, Anita, says that, unlike many
survivors, she was always ready to talk about her experiences of the Holocaust.
She is a remarkable person who deserves a much higher profile that she
has.
The picture below is a small maquette (a sculptor’s small-scale
preliminary model) owned by your correspondent, Bazza. Much of her work,
like this one, has a mother and child theme. I rotate this piece every few
weeks because it appeals from all angles.
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| "Mother and Child" maquette, Naomi Blake, owned by Bazza |
Her art is life-affirming and promotes human values. Despite her experiences, Naomi has said:
"there is something positive in the human figure – there is a lot of good in people…with my past, if I were pessimistic, somehow, it wouldn’t have been worthwhile surviving".
10 comments:
Hi Bazza - lucky you ... and that's brilliant that you appreciate the maquette so much and are devoted to seeing it from all angles. An incredible life she's had - and I bet if she was pessimistic ... she'd have died by now or been killed ... it's good her work is so respected though .... cheers Hilary
Hello Bazza, That's the test of good art--that the more you look at it, and the more different ways, the more it is appreciated and the better it looks. I can see the Henry Moore influence in your piece. Perhaps as a result of her bitter experiences, Blake sees the vitality and value of human life and its continuation expressed via the mother-child format.
--Jim
Hilary: She actually has been suffering from mild dementia recently according to her gallery (which has just closed down!) so she doesn't work any more. But she has indeed had an incredible life. That kind of example seems to have been the case with many holocaust survivors.
Jim: I suppose that's the case when Mona Lisa's eyes follow you round the room! Moore's influence is very obvious in her earlier work but she did develop her own very personal style later. She is a strong believer in human values and an optimist!
At uni, in art history, we covered paintings, gold and silver, porcelain, architecture, manuscripts, glass, furniture etc etc but not much sculpture that I remember. Shame really because Blake really does remind the viewer of Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth. The Mother and Child maquette, in particular, looks very palpable.
Hels: The Art History unit in my degree was about Modernism, "Manet to Pollack".
I could never really afford to collect art, at least , the kind that I would want! However I had a small inheritance a few years ago and decided to treat myself for a change. I have never regretted buying that maquette.
Hi bazza,
Fascinating post about a fascinating and inspirational person.
My cousin's wife has Polish heritage, and her mother had experience of the Nazi regime herself. When she was very young, I believe her parents and brother fell victim to that unfathomable evil. And yet, when she visited us in Stoke once, and my Great Aunt (herself a formidable character who had lived through the war and grinding poverty) began to bemoan her existence, she very animatedly told her that one mustn't say such things and that life is precious and one must appreciate every day one gets. So, another inspirational woman with an optimism ironically born out of extreme hardship. It kind of puts your own worries into perspective, doesn't it?
Anyway, I like the sculptures. Her influences are very visible. And you've actually got one. Well done, bazza!
Best Wishes,
David.
David: I am so often amazed to hear these stories of people who, having survived some terrible ordeal, become forgiving and generous human beings who are able to live a much more than worthwhile life. Terrible incidents in one's life certainly have the effect of putting small set-backs into perspective! Thanks for your comment!
Wonderful post bazza, inspiring stuff, and I envy you that maquette.
Thanks AC, I will allow you to print off a photo of it if you like!
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