With the world's attention once more focusing on courageous women facing tyrannical regimes I thought I'd re-share my small oil sketch of one of my heroes, Sophie Scholl.
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| Portrait of anti-nazi activist, Sophie Scholl, 2020, oil sketch on old book cover, by artist, Wayne Chisnall |
Sophie was a German student and anti-Nazi political activist, active within White Rose, the non-violent resistance group in Nazi Germany. After being found distributing anti-war leaflets at the University of Munich (LMU) with her brother, Hans, the Nazis convicted her of high treason and executed her at the guillotine.
Part of a body of 100 small oil paintings that I made over a 12 month period from January 2020, this portrait of Sophie (one of my favourite pieces from the project, and now in a private collection abroad), painted on an old book cover, also features a version of her last words,
"Such a fine, sunny day, and I have to go... What does my death matter, if through us, thousands of people are awakened and stirred to action?"
