Syracuse University

It is unfortunate but people only need open the daily newspaper to be reminded of racism, inequality, genocide, and so many other malevolent aspects of mankind.  Only recently when President Obama walked through the Nazi concentration camp at Buchenwald we were reminded that too many people deny the evil that was the Holocaust.  The President visited the infamous camp with Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Elie Wiesel and the two spoke about remembering what had occurred so that we might prevent it from happening again.  The President said "And it is now up to us, the living, in our work, wherever we are, to resist injustice and intolerance and indifference in whatever forms they may take and ensure that those who were lost here did not go in vain."  Wiesel commented "Memory must bring people together, rather than set them apart. Memories here not to sow anger in our hearts, but on the contrary, a sense of solidarity with all those who need us."

Memory is key for Gatoff

Arnold Gatoff has found that painting allows him to remember, grieve, find solace, give comfort, and essentially become a cathartic experience that transcends the moment.  He has had tragedy in his own life and met others who also know the heartbreak that comes with the loss of loved ones.  Rather than dwelling on the injury and hurt, Gatoff has created a series of images that borrow from religion, the visual and performing arts, history, and poetry.  These paintings are striking on several levels.  His colors counter the usual somber palette associated with those who title their work Holocaust, From Out of Ashes, and The Very Stones Wept.  Although stylized in geometric patterns, Gatoff’s work borrows from renaissance and modern painting movements while maintaining a uniqueness that is not easily categorized.  What may be most special about this work is that it does not “sow anger in our hearts,” but rather reminds us that From the Ashes, Faith, Vision, and Rebirth are possible.

- Domenic Iacono