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When the Nazi's stole works of art, the theft represented much more than art worth millions lost---it represented the theft of a people's culture, heritage, peace of mind, identity, and existence. Throughout the war, Hitler and his men tried to eradicate the existence of degenerate and inferior races from Europe. He burned historical architecture, churches, castles, and looted artwork, furniture, and more to remove that nation from existence. When the art was returned it served as a mechanism of reinstatement. It reinstated a nation, showing the world that they were still in existence and that they had survived. These lost pieces were highly coveted. The value on the art market had increased exponentially because the pieces were victims and some were survivors of war. People valued these treasures as pieces that withstood Hitler's barbarity. The theft of Painter on the Road to Tarascon, like many other works of art, represented the attempt to erase a culture. However, despite its physical loss, the memory and impact is not lost. It will remain an influential piece of arart, that later influenced another artist to create his own works of art.
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