December 7th, 1941

16" x 22"
Edition of 50
1944 Atelier 17 Lithograph

Downloadable PDF ︎︎︎
Atelier 17 ︎︎︎


"Immediately after Pearl Harbor, there was a great deal of talk about the almost fatal complacency of the American Public. It was obvious that we were utterly unprepared technically and mentally, and for some time were beaten on all fronts without showing too much concern.

My response is this lithograph which shows a thin brick wall which on December 7, 1941 was perforated, a thin wall which had separated us up to that day from an enormous sea of destruction (represented by skulls). This warrior does not appear with a modern super tank or super bomb but by an old horse which already shows signs of strain since outside our borders the wall was no longer a new or fresh adventure. In the lower foreground there are symbolic serpents wiggling their way towards the spectators and representing treachery, hatred and prejudice."

Leo Katz


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