Following the narratives of survivors, Defiant Requiem tells the unbelievable story of
Rafael Schachter, a Czech conductor who sparks hope and spirit among his fellow prisoners, in the darkest time at the Terezin concentration camp. This documentary is nicely done: the mournful music really enhanced the survivor’s account of their history with the Holocaust and with their source of hope–Schachter. It was Schachter’s endless pursuit of music that made labor and torture more bearable; it was through music, that the prisons were able to express something they did not dare to say to the Nazis. It is a remarkable film to watch; it is painfully beautify.
Related: art produced during the holocaust
Terezín : voices from the Holocaust
My secret camera : life in the Lodz ghetto
Art from the ashes : a Holocaust anthology
paintings and 20 works on paper by 36 artists from 15 countries. Among the breathtakingly beautiful works, are paintings by Van Gogh, Monet, O’Keefe, Munch, Gauguin, and many other famous artists. Another highlight was works by Canadian painters, such as Emily Carr and the group of seven, were also a part of the exhibition.
He explores the contrast between the night and the street lights. His depiction of cityscape at night is usually seen as the representation of the death of spirituality, whereas the other artists’ nature landscape in the exhibition is seen as the rise/development of spirituality.