COLLECTION NAME:
Undergraduate Thesis Collection
Record
Title:
Emmy Andriesse: Reshaping Memory through Photographs
Creator:
Livius, Elise
Subject:
Thesis (B.F.A.) -- Art History
Subject:
Savannah College of Art and Design -- Department of Art History
Rights:
Copyright is retained by the authors or artists of items in this collection, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Abstract:
“Emmy Andriesse (1914–1953) was a Dutch photographer of the 20th century known for her modern images of the Second World War, the liberation movements, fashion, and a series of photographic recreations of Vincent van Gogh’s paintings. Throughout her career, she documented the world around her with a focus on the beauty of humanity, which took on a narrative of survival and resilience during the war. Photography was strictly regulated in German occupied territories, with censorship meant to emphasize National Socialism, militaristic strength, and ethnic cleansing. The Nazi government also placed a multitude of restrictions on Jewish populations, including a work ban and yellow–badge identification. In the Netherlands, a group of photographers came together to form an underground resistance photography group known as De Ondergedoken Camera. As a part of this group, Andriesse secretly recorded the survivors of Nazi occupation and the Hunger Winter of 1944–45, photographing the persistence of daily life as a means of resistance. Being Jewish herself, she maintained an additional level of caution while documenting her surroundings, yet did not sacrifice authenticity in her images. While other photographers captured scenes of death and violence, Andriesse focused on images of people coming together, offering a uniquely optimistic view that neither diminishes nor excuses the suffering of the Dutch people. The juxtaposition of these different perspectives provides a complete picture of the Dutch experience during the Second World War, shaping the country’s collective memory by acknowledging both the victims and survivors. This thesis will discuss her humanist photographs in relation to the events of the war and in contrast to both propagandist and other resistance photographers of the time. The objective of this thesis is to establish Andriesse’s photographs as a key element to how the war is remembered in the Netherlands, celebrating the community and culture of a dignified nation.” –Abstract
Keywords: photography, Second World War, Emmy Andriesse, hidden camera, Netherlands, Hunger Winter, humanist, memory.
Keywords: photography, Second World War, Emmy Andriesse, hidden camera, Netherlands, Hunger Winter, humanist, memory.
Publisher:
Savannah, Georgia: Savannah College of Art and Design
Date:
2024-08
Format:
1 online resource: 1 PDF (Thesis, 48 pages, color illustrations)