IDENTITIES october 1997 / planet of the arts 31 On The Edge Of The Abyss ‘ Creativity And Compromise Liebermann has sketched the conditions of living and dying _ during the Holocaust. ated in May 1945. During her internment, the opportunity presented itself to Liebermann to make use of her capacity for visual self-expression: her Nazi captors were interested in having por- traits done of themselves and their wives and children. Liebermann’s portraits of the Germans were an avenue to prolong her life in the face of the imminent death and mur- der that surrounded her. These images probably took the form of classic portraiture, where the subject is depicted in a highly positive light and situated in a favourable setting. Careful attention to finely rendered detail would be necessary to flatter the physiognomy of her subject/captor. Living to see another day would probably have come to depend on how pleasing were her portraits to her Nazi clientele. If Liebermann’s Nazi portraits did indeed by Jonathan Lander lla Liebermann-Shiber spent most of her teenage years in Nazi captivity during the Holocaust. A number of her drawings have been assembled in an exhibit entitled On the Edge of the Abyss, which was recently displayed at the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre. These narrative drawings were created during the years immedi- ately following Liebermann’s release from Nazi captivity. In her cata- logue statement, the artist explains that her drawings bear witness to_ her experiences. She also maintains that producing this series of images had the effect of easing. her mind of some of those experi- ences. Liebermann’s ninety-three captioned sketches represent living (and dying) conditions throughout the span of the Holocaust, with its beginnings in Germany, through forced ghettoization in Poland, imprisonment at the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp, and finally lib- eration at the end of the war. Liebermann begins telling her story with drawings depicting scenes from 1938, at the height of pre-war anti-Semitism. Ten years old at the time, Liebermann was forced, with her family, to leave her home in Berlin and to relocate to a Nazi-con- structed Jewish ghetto in Bendin, Poland (at the time of the German inva- sion.) In August 1943, after five years of hardship, torment and _ horror (daily ghetto life), the Nazis declared Bendin, in its pillaged dilapidation, Judenrein (“free of Jews”). German troops transferred all surviving residents of Bendin to concentration camps. Liebermann and her family ended up in Auschwitz-Birkenau. Her father and brothers were selected for exter- mination immediately upon arrival. In 1945, as the Russians began advancing towards Auschwitz, the Nazis evacuated the camp in an attempt to mask their atrocities. They forced the remaining prisoners on a westward “death march’, so- called by survivors because many on this arduous marches died or were murdered en route. Liebermann and her mother survived the march and were liber- Her post-war “portraits” depict captor and victim. flatter her sitters, then she would have ended up excluding important features of the reality that gave meaning to the artist-subject relationship: a power dynamic premised upon sys- tematic cruelty and murder, and the enduring effects of dehumaniza- tion carried out in the name of political ideology. n her collection of postwar drawings, Liebermann uses the same skills to “revisit” some of her portrait subjects and the context in which she encountered them. Most of the “portraits” Liebermann made after the war depict captor and victim together. They visually describe the cruelty and day to day suffering of Liebermann and those around her. All of these images are drawn in pencil, with a rough, sketchy aes- thetic — probably. far below the level of refinement that Liebermann would have achieved in her earlier “commissioned” portraits. Liebermann may have felt the need to distance herself from the portraiture she produced during her internment, not wanting to emulate that same aesthetic because of its emotional association with having made a bargain with the (Nazi) devil. Moreover, the rough- ness of her drawings conveys the hardship and coarse living condi- tions she and others faced throughout the Holocaust. An important component in Liebermann’s sketches is her sub- jects’ facial expressions. The faces of her Jewish subjects reveal fear, helplessness, panic, and dis- may. The faces of the Nazis and head guards show them to be hardhearted, cruel, and inhu- man to the point of enjoying their brutality. Liebermann also shows an awareness of the difference between the photographic image and the pencil sketch. In Atrocity Propaganda, Liebermann criticizes photography as a medium to present social reality. We see Nazis staging (by force) a photograph to be used for hate propaganda. What is exclud- ed fairly easily from the eye of the camera is the context that reveals the true meaning of the event. ketches differ from photographs as testimonial evidence. Of the photographic images that do exist of life in the ghettoes and in the camps (taken mainly by Nazis for documentation or propaganda, or by American troops upon liberation), few present the actions and atrocities at the times they were committed by the Nazis. (A prominent exception in this regard is an exhibit currently touring Germany of photographs showing members of the Nazi Wehrmacht carrying out atrocities in the course of their daily occupational activ- ities.) Drawings are able to bring forth hidden and obliterated collec- tive experience by way of a person’s visually rendered recollection. The “truth” of a documentary photograph is certainly disputed by contemporary art theory. What has been noticed is that the photog- rapher’s subjective selection and composition in the image-making process excludes the notion of absolute objectivity. However the pho- tograph is still seen as more objective than the drawing, based on its one-to-one correlation with something existing in the world apart from the photographer. A drawing is usually considered inadequate as a basis to positively identify a situation; photographs are usually considered to have a scientific standard of truthfulness. For the sake of documentation or testimonial purposes, drawings and paintings carry no objectivity or scientific merit on their own. Photographs that don’t exist after the fact cannot visually tell someone’s story, but Liebermann’s drawings represent specific actions and experiences not recorded by any other visual medium. But do the drawings succeed in truthfully conveying some vital historical experience and information that would otherwise be left without visual representation? ; Liebermann’s image captions are an assertion of truthfulness and detailed historical information. For example, several of the captions refer to the victims and their Nazi attackers by their complete names and titles, and explain other contextual details that led up to the nar- rative point in the picture. To the student of history, Liebermann’s images allow deep per- sonal insight into the life of a victim of the Holocaust. To the Holocaust denier, fine art and written testimonials of the Holocaust support the denier’s claims of fabrication — that writing and art-making are processes of the creative mind; that drawings are “created” out of “memory” or “imagination”. Oo) The writer would like to thank Harald Gravelsins for numerous interesting discussions that benefited the analysis presented in this article. mt IDENTITIES october 1997 / plonet of the orts 31 On The Edge Of The Abyss Creativity And Compromise Eine Zuongs pose fir Graikpropaganda Liebermann has sketched the conditions of living and dying during the Holocaust. ated in May 1945. During her interament, the opportunity resented itself to Liebermann to make use of her capacity for visual self-expression: her [Naz captors were interested in having por traits done of themselves and their wives and children. Lebermana’s portraits of the Germans were an avenue to prolong he life in the fice ofthe imminent death and mur er that surrounded her, “These images probably took the form of classic portraiture, where the subject is depicted in a highly postive light and situated in a fvourable setting. Carefal attention to finely rendered detail would be neces to fatter the physiognomy of her subjeccaptor. Living to see another day ‘would probably have come to depend on how pleasing, were her portraits to her Nazi clientele, by Jonathan Lander Ia Lcbeemann-Shier spent most of her teenage years in ari captivity during the Holocaust. A numberof her drawings have been assembled in an exhibit etiled On the edge of the Abyss, which was recently displayed at the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre ‘These narrative dra ately following Liebermann’ release fom Nazi captivity In her cata s were created during the years immedi logue statemef the artist explains that her drawings bea wines to her experiences. She also msintains that producing this series of mages had the effect of easing her mind of some of those experi Licbermann’s ninety-three captionod sketches represent living {and dying) conditions throughout the span ofthe Holocaust with its beginnings in Germany, though forced ghettoizaton in Poland, imprisonment a the Auschwitz-irkenau de hncamp, and finally i cation atthe end ofthe war Liebermann begins tling hee story with drawings depicting scenes from 1938 tthe eight of prewar ant-Semim. Ten years ‘old at the time, Liebermann was forced, with her family to Teave her home in Berlin and 10 relocate to a Navicon structed Jewish ghetto in Bendin Poland (at the time Of the German ava son) Tn August 1943, ater Five years of hardship, torment and horror (daily gheto fife, the [Nazis delaed Hendin, in is pillaged dilapidation, Judenen ice of. Jews"). German troops transferred ll surviving residents of Bendin to concentration camps. Licer ‘Auschoit-Birkenau, Her father and brothers were selected for exter. ‘mination immediatly upon ati. Tn s,s the Russians began advancing towards Auschowsit the [Navsevacuated the camp in an attempt to mask thir atrocities. They foxced the remaining prisoners on a westward “death marc’, so called by survivors because many on this arduous marches died or were murdered en route Libermann and her mother survived the march and were liber: nn and her family ended up in Her post-war “portraits” depict captor and victim. If Licbermanais Nazi portraits did indeed Aauer he sites, then s features ofthe reality that gave meaning to would have ended up excluding impor the atstsubjet relationship: power dynamic pren tematic cruclty and marder and the enduring effects of dehuraniza tion carried out in the name of political ideology upon sys Berne (eon ieee a eerie No of oars de ete or Spt espera engi They vay eee terse tod ficing ol eerca ndhwe wrod be Ath eg rn penta gh the poy below tc eof cfc at cera ee SG aE ir woiigans Giaot ae tr Bee a eae ee vise oats Sere Be ee erate cbt mere tossed oe eed ouput te Halo fe ek ind Ts or tab reel a helene pn nd ie Ba all Oe Neate ST ea ee es ot Wi a a a Te purl ak fe ed ira ve the panel eT Alcly Popped ane a i rt ol al Wc Na fing Cy a tegre eee rte regtaes ee ey i a tn ee Se 1 photographic image and the photographic images that do exist of life i the ghettos din the camps (taken mainly by Nazis for documentation oF propiganda,or by American troops upon liberation), few present the ‘actions and atrocities at the times they were committed by the Naas (A prominent exception in this egard isan exhibit currently touring ;many of photographs showing members ofthe Nazi Wehrmacht Ss Afr from photographs a5 testimonial evidence. OF ‘carrying out atrocities inthe course oftheir daily occupational actv- ities) Drawings are abet bring forth hidden and obliterated clle- tive experience by way of persons visually rendered recollection. ‘The"truth’ ofa documentary photograph is certainly disputed by contemporary att theory: What has been noticed is that the photog raphe’ subjective selection and composition inthe image-making proces excludes the notion of absolute objectivity. However the pho tograph is stl sen a more objective than the drawing, based on its ‘one-to-one correlation with something existing in the world apart, fom the photographer. A drawing is usually considered inadequate a8 a basis to positively identify a stuaton; photographs ae usually considered to havea sienite standard of truthfulness. For the ske of documentation or testimonial purposes, drawings and paintings carry no objectivity or siete m Photographs that dont exist ater the fact cannot visually tll someone's story, but Liebermann’ drawings represent specific ctions and experiences not recorded by any other visual medium. But do the drawings succeed in truthfully conveying some vital historical experience and information that would otherwise be left ton thet own, ‘without visual representation? Licbermannsimage caption are an assertion of truthfulness and