Teresa Śmiechowska
A dance of life and death in the works of Henryk Beck.
The art as a medicine
Be it a composition or a book, a picture or a
sculpture – after being created by the master it begins to live its own life.
Creativity in general often found in a very
interesting process, which we usually learn from the notes in a letter,
depictions, diaries or writings as well as from the stories and memories of
others.
Henryk Beck was able to combine his love of many art
forms. He was a chronicler of his life from the very beginning, was fond of
drawing and painting. There was also a period in his life, when he couldn’t
decide what to learn – art or medicine. As a result, he chose the second one,
following his father, known as a prominent scientist-psychologist and the
Doctor of Medical Science. In February 1927, Henryk
Beck defended his PhD thesis and received the title of Associate Professor of
Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Warsaw. He combined his
professional life with a hobby. In more than 1,800 drawings and water-colours, left behind day after day, often in a
humorous way, he reflected his life events, most of which referred to medicine.
Many drawings are associated with L’viv – a special and important city for Beck
for the simple reason: he was born there, spent his childhood, youth and got
education. These drawings are a unique memorial reflection of his personal,
family and professional worries. Writings
which have been created within many years not only portray the times of the
death but first of all are a chronicle of pre-war triviality.
Among the rich and complex chronicle of Henryk Beck’s life, which are reflected in his drawings, I
would like to single out a cycle of 46 ink drawings. In 1964, eight years after
the death of the artist, his sister Jadwiga Zakshevska
gave these drawings to the Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw. She decided
to separate Beck’s collection of works between the two institutions. Most of
creative inheritance got into the Medical Library in Warsaw. However, the
works, created in apocalyptical conditions of the World War II went to the Jewish
Historical Institute.
The cycle of 46 drawings entitled «Bunker
44»
bases on a place and a time of its appearance. The illustrations, for the most
part of the drawings, were created in heavy military conditions, under the city
ruins – in an underground bunker, where Henryk, his
wife and 34 other people had been hiding for three and a half months. Every day
they suffered from darkness, unbearable claustrophobia and inability to get
out, stuffiness, lack of air, heat over 40 degrees, absence of water, constantthirst which had nothing to quench. Hunger,
physical and moral weakness, invasion of insects and pests, nervous exhaustion,
constant tension, caused by the fear of danger and waiting for release, furious
stress, disturbance, balancing on a verge of life and death, panic attacks and
fear, premonition of threat and pain, which have no end. In addition, while hiding in a bunker they
experienced mental strain, absence of private life and frequent outbreaks of
conflicts. And a constant fear that their hiding place would be found. A fear of death, which one can hardly imagine; the thing which
completely paralyzes a person. Like death waiting for you on a doorstep.
In a «bunker», in conditions, which seemed to exclude
any creative work, Henryk Beck continued to draw. He
depicted scenes and impressions of daily life underground using all the
possible pieces of paper, draw in ink and water-colour.
A history which was reproduced in symbolic scenes, in most cases pertains to
mere existentce – death, love and food. Life in general. Human fate in inhuman
conditions.
We are not aware of the sequences in which these
illustrations were created but it is possible that the first one was a drawing
entitled «Cafe Bunker Warsaw»,
which in addition to the inscription above the heads of two piccaninnies has
had an explanation:
«Let’s keep our
sense of humor, yet we are sitting in a café «Bunker».
Such an irony-funny approach to the situation, reflected in drawings, didn’t
allow the author to cross the line of desperation and fear. The remaining writings state that Beck
managed to create a certain theatrical world that allowed to
diverge from the current circumstances. Playing the role of an observer
or spectator, keeping the distance between his life and terrific military
reality, Beck together with his beloved wife managed to survive 110 horrific
days.
His other drawings illustrate both imaginary and
current events. In seven of the most interesting works, as for me, appears a skull and a skeleton – evident enough symbol of
death.
Unsere Zeichen – Nationalsozialistische
Deutsche Arbeiterpartei
Our signs – nationalistic labour party of Germany
And the ground is on guard of death,
We do not care that our humor is a dance
of skeletons,
And a death looks at us tempty
Here underground the time is against us,
And a death is waiting
For me, these drawings are a game with death, bribery
of death and domestication of death at the same time. These are impressions of
a person of the 20th century, who probably, unconsciously applies to
the ideas and a culture of medievalism, to dance of death as an
expression of equality of all men before the death. This is a manifestation of
disappointment and vanity of the world, complaint on transience, and as for the
case of «Bunker
44» – a
symbol of a constant danger, feeling of hopelesness.
Another part of drawings, which can’t be set aside
which were created in order to escape from desperate thoughts, Beck united in a
series of «Bacchanalia». On these drawings we can see naked women
accompanied by satyrs. One of the drawing has a symbol
of Judaism – the Star of David and the menorah. In these two cycles, in which
Thanatos opposes to Eros, Beck perfectly portrayed two basic strivings which
define a person’s motivation – striving for life and striving for death.
In Beck’s case life had won, proving that art can
exist in spite of everything, while creation helps to survive the times impossible
to sustain.
Along with the exhibition of about twenty pictures of Henryk Beck, which was held in the Jewish Historical
Institute in Warsaw entitled «Polish Art and Holocaust (2013)», in the
L’viv’s Museum of Ethnography and Crafts a grand exhibition was opened,
dedicated to 150th anniversary of Adolf Beck. It consisted of over
ten water-colours, painted by his son Henryk. The exhibition entitled «The
world of Adolf Beck through the eyes of Henryk Beck:
totally unofficial», initiated by Professor Oksana Zayachkivska, was the first major demonstration of works by
the unique doctor and artist. What should be marked is that this exhibition
became possible by virtue of a great dedication of Mrs. Professor. Wasn’t it a
fate – to commemorate the anniversary of a father by the exhibition of his
son’s works? The event was accompanied by the publication of significantly
illustrated book with a valuable calendar of life and scientific work of Adolf
Beck.
In 2016, on the occasion of the 120th anniversary of
birth and the 70th anniversary of death of Henryk
Beck, the Central Medical Library in
Warsaw published a richly illustrated collection «Henryk Beck: The world through the eyes of a
doctor» (a
peculiar recurrence of the name of L’viv’s exhibition), which collected about
1,800 drawings and water-colours. This is the first
universal edition of all saved works of the artist. Anniversaries go by, but
the books which keep in memory a prominent L’viv’s professor and his son – doctor gynecologist and
artist at the same time, continue to exist and inspire. A fascinating biography
of father and son will undoubtedly catch an interest of students and
researches, and will probably inspire further, more detailed research and
discovery on a verge of medical science and artistic creativity
, presented by Adolf and Henryk Beck.
The second paragraph of the Hippocratic Oath states: «The
one, who wants to master the art, should have an inborn leaning, acquired
skills, a proper place for learning, appropriate education, assiduity and
continued patience. An innate propensity takes the first place, because even if
the nature will be against, everything will be in vain. But when the nature
shows a true path, mastering of the art gives the best results. Learning should
be led by the mind, coming beforehand to the best place for education.
A great assiduity is also needed for a long term, to
let the knowledge put down deeply her roots and give a good and rich result».
These words can refer to all, devoted to their work, especially in medical or
in artistic spheres. Adolf and Henryk Beck were able to be true to this oath in both
medicine and art.
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