arts & culture
New Film Brings to Life
‘Largest Single Work of Art
Created by a Jew During the Holocaust’
does neither artist justice, distinguish-
ing between the youthful directness
of Frank’s writing as an adolescent in
hiding with the more mature, sophis-
ticated representations made by
Salomon as a young artist.

Sarah Rosen | New York Jewish Week via JTA
W hile hiding from the Nazis, the
German Jewish artist Charlotte
Salomon began a series of autobi-
ographical paintings and texts with
a painfully simple description of her
aunt, and namesake’s, suicide: “Scene
1: 1913. One November day, a young
girl named Charlotte Knarre leaves
her parents’ home and jumps into the
water.” Intense and memorable, that image
is the launching point for “Life? or
Theatre?” — a series of hundreds of
gouaches Salomon made between
1940 and 1942. Best described as
an “autobiographical play,” it features
personal stories illustrated with vibrant
paintings and cues for music. Salomon,
in her 20s when she made the body of
work, called it a “singspiel” — a play
with music.

And now, a new fi lm directed by
French sisters Delphine and Muriel
Coulin delivers a cinematic representa-
tion of her best-known work. “Charlotte
Salomon: Life and the Maiden” made
its world premiere at Lincoln Center on
Jan. 18 as the centerpiece of the New
York Jewish Film Festival.

The fi lm lies somewhere between
cinema and art installation: Aside
from a brief opening and conclusion,
‘This is my whole life’
Charlotte Salomon (1917-1943) and her grandparents prior to 1940
Salomon’s expressive paintings take
up most of the screen time. Sound
design brings the paintings to life, as
does the music Salomon indicated in
her original script, along with text read
by the actress Vicky Krieps (“Phantom
Thread,” “Corsage”), who plays protag-
onist Charlotte.

“We didn’t want to make a pure
documentary of her,” said co-direc-
tor Delphine Coulin. “What had never
been done was to make a true fi lm
with the painting, the music and the
text, and to imagine what Charlotte
was visualizing when she was painting
… Because the neighbors said they
could hear her singing while she was
painting.” Salomon, who died at Auschwitz
at age 26 in 1943, is something of a
modern-day cult favorite among art
lovers and Jewish historians. In a 2017
New Yorker article, writer Toni Bentley
notes that “Life? or Theatre?” is “the
largest single work of art created by a
Jew during the Holocaust.” She is also
sometimes compared to Anne Frank.

Critics have noted this comparison
Born in Berlin in 1917, Salomon grew
up in a cultured German Jewish family.

Her mother died when she was 8 or
9. She studied at the German capital’s
prestigious Academy of Arts until the
Nazis’ rise to power made it impossible
for her to continue. In 1938, her father,
a surgeon, spent a brief period in an
internment camp; after his release,
he sent his daughter to stay with her
grandparents in the south of France,
where he hoped she’d be safe.

After Salomon’s
arrival at
Villefranche-sur-Mer in 1939, her grand-
mother attempted suicide and eventu-
ally died. Only then did Salomon learn
that her mother had died by suicide as
well, and that the women in her family
had a history of depression (though it
isn’t covered in the fi lm, there is some
evidence that her grandfather may
have been abusive).

In “Life? or Theatre?” Salomon writes:
“My life began when my grandmother
See Film, page 23
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food & dining
It’s Soup Season!
Keri White
T his time of year, soup calls my name. The warming
comfort that a bowl of soup delivers helps get me
through the bleak days that are January.

The aroma of soup simmering on the stove infuses
the house with coziness and love, and the whole-
some benefi ts of said soup bolster the health to fi ght
off colds and fl u and, if we do succumb, help heal
and restore us.

Soup is also a cost-eff ective way to use ingredi-
ents — whether they’re leftovers, veggies that have
gone unused and are past their prime, or something
that you bought in bulk as a “bargain” and is going
to end up wasting money if you don’t fi nd a way
to consume it. (Five pounds of caulifl ower for $5
seemed like a deal at the time …)
My fi nal plug for soup is the potential weight loss
benefi t. First, I shall add a disclaimer: I am not a dieti-
tian, nutritionist or medical professional of any kind.

But I have been eating for multiple decades and
know that soup (assuming we are not talking about
cream- and butter-laced bisque) is relatively low
calorie and does fi ll you up. So, it’s a good choice as
a healthy and wholesome meal, especially for those
of us who indulged in too many latkes, cookies and
adult beverages during the festive season.

Both of these recipes are vegan but can be made
meat or dairy, if desired.

Roasted Vegetable Soup
Makes 8 cups soup or 4 servings
This simple recipe can be adapted to any and all
vegetables that you have on hand. It’s a great way
to use leftover roasted veggies — in such cases,
you are more than halfway done. Other option: Plan
ahead, make a double batch of the roasted veg with
dinner and enjoy a meal of this soup tomorrow.

You can be as creative as you like — add fresh
herbs, chilies or spices — or keep it simple and follow
the recipe below. If you prefer a smooth texture, use
an immersion or regular blender to puree; if not,
leave the soup chunky and dig in.

Photos by Keri White
8 cups assorted chopped vegetables: onion,
potato, carrot, celery, broccoli, squash, tomato,
caulifl ower, yam, whole garlic cloves, et cetera
2 tablespoons oil
Sprinkle of salt and pepper
8 cups vegetable broth
Heat your oven to 400 degrees F. Place the
veggies on a parchment-lined baking tray, and
Vegan pozole
toss them with oil, salt and pepper. Roast them in
the oven for 20-30 minutes until the veggies are
cooked through and beginning to brown. Remove
the veggies from the oven and, in a pan or bowl, mix
with the broth. Heat and eat.

Vegan Pozole
Serves 4-6
This vegan take on the hominy-based, spicy soup is a
corker — it is plenty hearty, fl avorful and robust, so even
the most devoted carnivores will not feel deprived. My
neighbor delivered a bowl of this to me a few weeks
ago when I was battling a cold and then kindly shared
the recipe when I requested it. How lucky am I?
Hominy is a corn product that is a staple in Latin
cuisine. It is available canned in many supermarkets.

1 1
1 4
1½ tablespoon olive oil
large onion, chopped
jalapeno, fi nely chopped
cloves garlic, crushed
teaspoons ground cumin
1½ teaspoons oregano
2 14-ounce cans hominy, drained and rinsed
2 14-ounce cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
6 tomatillos, chopped
5 cups vegetable broth
Juice of 2 limes
Salt and pepper to taste (be generous)
Garnishes: Cilantro leaves, sliced avocado, lime wedges,
tortilla strips, pickled onions, shredded
cabbage, et cetera
In a large pot, heat the oil over medium, add the
onions and sauté for 5 minutes.

Add the garlic, jalapeno, cumin, oregano, salt
and pepper, then cook for a minute more, or until
fragrant. Add the pinto beans, tomatillos, hominy and
vegetable broth. Bring it to a boil, cover, reduce the
heat to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Add the lime juice, and season to taste. ■
Keri White is a freelance food writer.

JEWISHEXPONENT.COM 21