HOME | DD

Description
“Peter Flinsch” April 22, 1920- March 30, 2010. I often find myself wondering what my place is in all this. Since I was a kid I wondered what would of happened to me were I born back then? What role would I have played, depending when and where I was born? Peter was an artist as well. He was compelled into the Hitler youth and mandatory military service, being forced into the luftwaffe for a short time. Despite his Aryan features, he was convicted under paragraph 175 for kissing a man during a Christmas party in 1942. While being caught gay meant execution in the SS or Gestapo, (on Himmler’s orders) members of other military branches could be court martialed and a variety of sentences imposed. Peter was assigned to a mine sweeping group with criminals and thus avoided fighting or concentration camps. This should not be mistaken for safety, as this was a very dangerous job where inmates were treated horribly and not expected to survive. He moved to Vancouver after the war and became a well known art director and artist. He was one of the few who spoke about his experiences being mistreated for his orientation openly after the war. He lived happily and openly in Canada, something he couldn’t have imagined as a young German, and died at the age of 89 in 2010. Polychromos pencils on strathmore paper. 9 x12” #art #portrait #coloredpencil #holocaust #holocaustremembrance #lgbtart #gayart #pinktriangle #peterflinsch

Description
“Peter Flinsch” April 22, 1920- March 30, 2010. I often find myself wondering what my place is in all this. Since I was a kid I wondered what would of happened to me were I born back then? What role would I have played, depending when and where I was born? Peter was an artist as well. He was compelled into the Hitler youth and mandatory military service, being forced into the luftwaffe for a short time. Despite his Aryan features, he was convicted under paragraph 175 for kissing a man during a Christmas party in 1942. While being caught gay meant execution in the SS or Gestapo, (on Himmler’s orders) members of other military branches could be court martialed and a variety of sentences imposed. Peter was assigned to a mine sweeping group with criminals and thus avoided fighting or concentration camps. This should not be mistaken for safety, as this was a very dangerous job where inmates were treated horribly and not expected to survive. He moved to Vancouver after the war and became a well known art director and artist. He was one of the few who spoke about his experiences being mistreated for his orientation openly after the war. He lived happily and openly in Canada, something he couldn’t have imagined as a young German, and died at the age of 89 in 2010. Polychromos pencils on strathmore paper. 9 x12” #art #portrait #coloredpencil #holocaust #holocaustremembrance #lgbtart #gayart #pinktriangle #peterflinsch