ABSTRACT
In the twentieth century, few events had as great an impact on the lives of European artists as the two global conflicts of 1914-1918 and 1939-1945. The upheavals resulting from those conflicts led to trauma and emigration. This chapter discusses two artists. Micha Cohen, an Israeli by birth but of Syrian extraction, lives and works in mainland Europe. Hans Bauer, German by birth, spent his adult life in England. From the outset, Cohen's identity was uncertain. Cohen has painted two series of works simultaneously: bare architectural spaces, mostly of the studio, and his painting table replete with objects. Bauer's art represents to some degree the isolated life he led as well as the rather damaged view he had of women. It is the author's perspective that the lives that Cohen and Bauer lead or led may well have provided suitable conditions to paint entirely different paintings.
