The photo I’ll describe is of a painting, realistically depicting a moment in my husband, Marcel’s, Holocaust experience. It was painted by the Bringing the Lessons Home ambassadors, a group of Washington, DC, students studying the Holocaust and expressing what they learn through art.
At first glance, we see a large area painted in brown and orange smudges, resembling a wheat field. It has the feel of a post-impressionist painting, slightly reminiscent of Van Gogh. In contrast to Van Gogh’s golden wheat fields projecting light and joy, these fields look much darker and jarring. This field comprises a big part of the painting, symbolizing its importance. In this field, where many Jews hid on a quiet, warm August afternoon, near dusk, an Aktion took place, which shattered the silence. The Nazi shots were followed by begging for mercy, screams of pain, and prayers for mercy. It was a concert of death. Finally, after a few hours, the Aktion ended, and Marcel, his mother, and sister who heard the massacre were able to leave the field.
We see them in the painting, standing ready to cross the narrow pass on which stands, barely visible, a Nazi soldier with a dog. The faces of the people are blank, inscrutable. We can only imagine their fear. Mother is wearing a bright yellow coat with orange piping and a kerchief on her head. She is keeping her children very close to her body, finding safety in that stance. Marcel is wearing dark colored shorts and suspenders, the usual boy’s attire of the time. His blond sister is wearing a blue dress.
Standing nearby, surrounded by green, is Jancia’s house, the home of Marcel's dear nanny. It is small, simple, and boxy. It has a red roof. This is where the family went after the horrific experience in the wheat field and surviving the very scary incident with the German soldier who walked away without hurting them. The house symbolizes safety.
The sky is dark blue, foreboding, and menacing, similar to Van Gogh's sky in the famous painting “Wheatfield with Crows.” It contrasts with the orange brown field of wheat, while the red path is intensified by the green band of grass. This painting is, of course, not a masterpiece, but a faithful rendition of a very dramatic time when Marcel’s and his family’s lives were in great danger.
"Concert of Death," a painting by Bringing the Lessons Home Ambassadors Alexandra C., Eric C., Cristopher C., Nautica G., Ashton J., Le'ah M., Brittney M., and Lloyd W. portraying an episode from Holocaust survivor and Museum volunteer Marcel Drimer's personal Holocaust experience. —US Holocaust Memorial Museum
© 2022, Ania Drimer. The text, images, and audio and video clips on this website are available for limited non-commercial, educational, and personal use only, or for fair use as defined in the United States copyright laws.