Dear All:
Is there anyone out there familiar with the political significance of certain gestures? Fritz Cremer in the first and final draft versions of his Buchenwald Memorial includes a figure with his right arm raised and second and third fingers also raised. In the final draft, he includes a figure with his left arm crossed over his chest and his fist clenched. Leaving aside the issue of the Buchenwald Oath for a moment ("Die Vernichtung des Nazismus mit seinen Wurzeln ist unsere Losung, Der Aufbau einer neuen Welt des Friedens und der Freiheit ist unser Ziel"), and the issue of defiance in the face of the SS, do these gestures have a wider significance in the history of communist symbolism? I would be very grateful for any tips on this.
Best wishes
Bill Niven
PS: The memorial can be seen at http://www.scrapbookpages.com/Buchenwald/Monuments.html and http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/KZ_Buchenwald
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