The Problem of Formal Analysis of the Representations of the Holocaust: Georges Didi-Huberman’s Images in Spite of All and Harun Farocki’s Respite

Abstract

The essay is about a relationship combining ethical, aesthetic(al) and epistemic methods of interpreting the images of the Holocaust. Taking the theoretical solutions of Georges Didi-Huberman s Images malgre tout and those implied by Harun Farocki' s movie Respite as the examples, demonstrated is the necessity to formally analyse the works referring to the Shoah. Their formal stratum, conceived as a set of solutions determining the structure and significance of visuality of photography or film, should not be approached as a secondary, sometimes even detrimental, aesthetical aspect but instead, a condition for an option of their ethical meaning. Specific visual forms, film-editing strategies or decisions on how to frame a photo do inform our knowledge on the Annihilation and enable consideration of ethical questions, including those concerning relevance of images.