White Rose

Created by Alex B., Thomas C. & Taylor F.

Young German students who spoke out against the Nazi government and were killed for their courage (1942-1943)

The Rose of Righteousness

Artist Statement

Founded at the University of Munich by friends Hans Scholl and Alexander Schmorell in 1942, The White Rose (Die Weisse Rose) movement distributed leaflets protesting the Nazi government. The Scholls were upstanders in Nazi Germany who created a nonviolent resistance group to fight back against the atrocities done by the Nazis.The members who founded this student group risked everything even though they could have lived comfortable and successful lives had they not resisted. Hans and his sister, Sophie Scholl, gradually built a large group of students and professors who shared the same beliefs and were willing to stand up by sharing the message of resistance to others. 

Our artifact is entitled the Rose of Righteousness.  The focal point of our artifact is the white rose in the center of the design.  The white rose represents the group itself and symbolizes purity, innocence, and resistance against the evil of the Nazi regime. The palm fronds, around the white rose, are the traditional symbol of a martyr, which is someone who gives their life for their beliefs.  Five white figures stand in a circle around the rose, symbolizing the core members of the group.  The figures are standing in solidarity to protect their beliefs. The white blots of paint are meant to be the ink; the ink represents their influence and the righteousness of their protest, which is why we used the color white. The leaflets falling from the briefcase illustrate how the White Rose members often spread their message. At their university, they emptied a briefcase full of leaflets from the top of a staircase, just as class was being let out. The black figures moving towards the group represent German civilians convinced by Nazi propaganda who were exposed to the ideas of the White Rose movement. The quotations on the sides of the boards are words from the White Rose pamphlets, translated into English. 

For the elements of art we used shape and form. The ink blot are interesting shapes that mimic the movement of the White Rose’s ideas as they influenced people. We incorporated form by using a 3D briefcase and a 3D white rose, which introduced dimension on the artifact; these figures helped make the artifact feel more dynamic and not completely 2 dimensional. The main principles of design we used were movement and contrast. As you look at our artifact, you initially start in the focal point, the rose, because it is lit up and in the center, and then your eye travels outward with the paint blob. We used the contrast of light and dark to show how the white rose influenced the dark which represents Nazism. 

This artifact commemorates the upstanders who stood up against nazism and risked their lives to save others. Our hope is that the viewers of this artifact learn the story of the Scholls, and the White Rose to define what it means to be an upstander in the face of adversity, and hopefully be inspired themselves.