Born in Kosice, Slovakia, one of nine children in the family. Feld studied art and design in his hometown and in Budapest, and was active in artistic circles. In 1944, Feld was deported to Auschwitz, where twenty of his closest relatives were murdered. As a little person, he was assigned to the medical experiment barracks under the supervision of Dr. Mengele. Feld was ordered by Mengele to draw his portrait, and consequently had the paper and charcoal to draw portraits of the twins who were subjected to medical experiments. Feld, senior in the barracks, tried to provide the experimented-on children with support in an attempt to relieve some of their suffering. They nicknamed him “Bacsi Lajos” (Uncle Lajos). Feld was liberated by the Red Army in January 1945, and in the footage taken at the time, filming children between the barbed-wire fences of the camp, he appears in their company.
After the war he returned to his hometown, where he continued to paint and teach art. The Communist regime commended his art and awarded him with the title “National Artist”.
In this etching, Feld documented a prayer taking place in the brick factory, where the Jews were gathered for deportation. The artist commemorated himself in the center under the watchful eye of the German officer.
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