Abstract:
Set against the background of post World War II chaos, Ilsa Petrov, born Lily Rushkin, tells the story of the pursuit with her brother, Abraham of her parents' confiscated art in battle scared countries of Europe. Through Ilsa's diligent work in maintaining records of stolen art in a black book throughout the war in Odessa, she now has special knowledge that may allow her to find her parents’ art work. The teens’ adventures through Romania, Hungary, Austria, Nuremberg, and Paris bring them in contact with the reality of a post war world. They are challenged on a daily basis of being Jewish but passing as gentiles. The Art Lesson explores the notion of who we become during war and its chaotic aftermath.