REPRESENTATION OF SEXUALIZED VIOLENCE IN WOMEN’S GRAPHIC NOVELS: NAOMI JUDKOWSKI AND EUFROSINIA KERSNOVSKAYA

Abstract

This article analyses an image from the work of Polish-born Israeli artist Naomi Judkowski (Zofia Rosenstrauch) in juxtaposition with a work done by Russian artist Eufrosinia Kersnovskaya. The study aims to compare two art works of two women with different backgrounds who both suffered under two oppressive regimes. One of the founders of the Ghetto Fighters kibbutz in Northern Israel with its known museum and archive dedicated to the Holocaust memory and education, Naomi Judkowski was an important voice in the Israeli post-war society. Not only her drawings were used as the state of Israel put Eichman on trial, but she also wrote a memoir of her experiences in Auschwitz-Birkenau available for the future generations. At the same time, Eufrosinia Kersnovskaya represents unique evidence to the experience of forced labour and deadly conditions in the Soviet GULAG. Her memoir together with 680 drawings reached the audience in 1990 when it was published by Russian and foreign periodicals. Despite the importance of these works, none of them has received the proper attention to this day. However, in the works of both authors, one can clearly see the “unique female language” that served as an expression of feelings and emotions in response to the sexualized humiliations perpetrated by the men against these two women. The works of both artists are characterized by a realistic visual language and were created out of a need for emotional expression, making the viewer witness their experience.