"Descended from the survivors of the forgotten genocide"

(collage painting on cardboard, 28X34, 2009)

"The so-called lessons of history are for the most part the rationalizations of the victors. History is written by the survivors."
Max Lerner

Original concept for this painting came from my work in raising awareness of the Ukrainian famine/genocide of 1932-33. My participation in this cause allowed me to find a whole new meaning in the concept of survival. I finally understood what it takes for a person to survive events that he doesn’t have any power to influence. Furthermore, it made me recognize how special it is for me to be alive.

All of my grandparents had to survive the Ukrainian man-made famine and then the Second World War for me to be here and it’s pretty miraculous when we are given a chance to comprehend how special our lives are. Each one of the people living today is a true miracle, since his ancestors had to survive natural selection and unnatural tragedies for him/her to be born. Anybody remotely familiar with the history of the human kind and the laws of probability should be able to appreciate the significance of his/her life and I think it’s a wonderful thought to hold on to when life gets dark or difficult...

P.S. Another nice thing to remind yourself of is that your ancestors were the strongest people who ever lived, that the blood that now runs in your veins was passed down to you by countless generations of true survivors. Your ancestors had to survive Ice Age, harsh conditions, wars and violence, diseases like the plague and a variety of other global calamities. Just thinking of that makes one realize that he/she is literally made from the best stuff on Earth!