It is estimated that during World War II, there were between 3 and 4.5 million Poles in the Third Reich. They were primarily forced laborers, concentration camp prisoners, and prisoners of war. This group also included women and children. The latter were sent to Germany both with their parents, who were assigned to perform forced labor, and on their own, as they were subject to the forced labor too. The German occupiers deported tens of thousands of Polish minors for the purpose of their Germanization.

The collection of Polish art at the Józef Piłsudski Institute of America includes many works that, beyond their artistic value, testify to a unique Polish-American dialogue. One such piece is a graphic work portraying the first American president, George Washington. The context of this work is particularly rich and multifaceted.

Art and war seem to be mutually exclusive. This notion is reinforced by a paraphrase of Cicero’s proverb, often invoked to highlight the contrast between the ruthlessness and totality of war and the peace of mind required for artistic creation: Inter arma silent Musae—in times of war, the muses are silent. In essence, war is the antithesis of creativity; it is a destructive, total, devastating, and often senseless act. Certain types of artistic creation are incompatible with war. On the other hand, art draws from all areas of life, and even the most difficult experiences find their sublimation in artistic expression. Warfare has been a subject of art since antiquity—from the reliefs of Ancient Greece to the bas-reliefs on columns and triumphal arches of Ancient Rome, which celebrated military conquests.

The painting collection of the Józef Piłsudski Institute of America serves a unique role. The Institute’s rooms, filled with Polish artworks, transport visitors from Brooklyn’s Greenpoint to the landscapes of the Central European lowlands and the Carpathian Mountains. It is worth following the landscape trail of this collection, viewing the paintings as elements of an emotional vehicle through time and space.

The Warsaw Uprising was the largest military uprising in German-occupied Europe. The unequal fight lasted 63 days from August 1 to October 2, 1944. After years of inhumane and criminal German occupation, which brought new crimes every day, the people of Warsaw took up arms. On Monday, July 31 at 7 p.m., Colonel Antoni Chruściel "Monter", commander of the Warsaw Home Army District, signed the order to begin the Uprising and sent it to his subordinate commanders. On August 1, 1944, at 5 p.m., insurgent units attacked previously designated objects in all districts of the city. The insurgents' task was to occupy strategic points and hold them until the Red Army entered Warsaw. Although the insurgents managed to take over most of the city center with the Old Town by August 4, they failed to capture important military facilities, bridges, airports, train stations, command centers, barracks and office buildings. The Home Army consisted of roughly 50,000 young soldiers in the city. They were mainly intelligentsia, graduates of underground Warsaw secondary schools and colleges, students associated with the Home Army underground during the occupation, and members of the underground scouts.

Antoni Stefan Koper