Herman Levie was born on December 7th, 1933 and was tragically murdered in Auschwitz on August 10th, 1942 at the young age of 9. He lived in Meppel, Netherlands during the war and his father, Jopie Levie, owned a store called "De Grote Bazar" and a market stall selling trinkets. Herman had 9 siblings, two of whom passed away in infancy. In August 1942, Jopie was forced to work in a Nazi labor camp in Orvelte. When he came home on leave on October 2nd, the entire Levie family was apprehended by the Gestapo and sent to Auschwitz.

 

Each of these portraits is for me a contemplation of sorts on the life of the person I am portraying. My choice of a colour palette is meant as a celebration of who he was and what he could have still become.
What were his hopes (as a 9-year-old)? What were his dreams? What could Herman have brought to life if his life wasn't taken away from him?

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