Tanya Ganson (1910-1993)

Tanya Ganson witnessed horrific events as a child.  She and her family escaped violence in the Ukraine during the Russian Revolution, traversing Romania and France before landing in the United States in the 1920s. After retiring from her career as a social worker, Mrs. Ganson studied painting with Seymour Drumlevitch, who encouraged her to paint her memories of the effects of war between the Monarchists and Bolsheviks. Her naïve style underscores the graphic violence and appalling scenes, such as her account of her friend, a young girl who was forced to play the piano while soldiers murdered her parents.