Ilana Raviv Dedicates Her Painting “Refugee” to the Children of Ukraine
"Refugee" is a painting that symbolizes the tragedy, sorrow, and perseverance of all those who have had to flee their homes in times of war and conflict.
A little girl, seated on an overstuffed suitcase, the only suitcase her parents could hastily pack on short notice, is nestled between two train tracks, each veering in a different direction, both harbingers of the uncertainty of things to come. Her teddy bear, fallen from her hands, lies prostrate on the unassuming pavement, echoing the sadness and despair of her unexpected circumstance, a reflection of the rushed reality into which she has been thrown, of the trauma of forced displacement she will unwittingly have to face, and of the life-changing moment that will forever leave a mark on her undecided future. And yet, this little girl, so tastefully dressed,with a carefully tied hair bow matching her elegant white dress and slippers, shines through like a fragile ray of light in a sea of somber gray. This child, having been lovingly clothed by her mother for the long and perilous journey ahead, reminds us all that despite being homeless now, bereft of all possessions save for what is carried on her back, she maintains her dignity.
For though she may be rounded up, and stowed, and steered, and shipped, and hauled, and moved around like cattle, as her precarious situation may so command, she is not cattle. Such is the grace of the human spirit. Such is the resolve of the human condition.
Dedicated to the people of Ukraine.
Ilana Raviv (Oppenheim)
www.ravivart.com
