Throughout her career , Szapocznikow explored the fragmented human body through sculptures of bronze and later used modern plastic materials including polyester , polyurethane , and wiring . Influenced by her experiences as a Polish Jewish woman during World War II , she uses the distorted , decaying , and fragmented human body as a witness to wartime experiences , ultimately criticizing the valorization of labor and militarism . '' Exhumed '' , from 1955 , is a portrayal of the body after war with a pitted surface texture and hollowed torso . The work evokes heroic Herculean figures and victims of the 79 CE Eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Pompeii , further driving the idea that valorized bodies are not immune to the impact of war
Eruption of Mount Vesuvius
Eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79
Alina Szapocznikow