Roman Halter • Life and Art through Stained Glass 1 | Page 46

Roman Halter: the Eternal Light
And the light shineth in the darkness and the darkness comprehended it not

John 1:5

Lucian Freud was fond of quoting from T. S. Eliot:
“The more perfect the artist, the more completely
separate in him will be the man who suffers and the
mind that creates.”
Whether Eliot’s statement is true or not, it most
certainly applies to Roman Halter. His remarkable
story is documented in his practice as a painter,
draughtsman and designer of stained glass. His work
as a visual artist stands as an eloquent summary of
his own narrative, Roman’s Journey, his masterpiece
of detached story telling.
Published in 2007, over half a century after the
ending of the Second World War, this remarkable
book, sensitively edited by his daughter Aloma,
sheds light on the life and character of the artist to
whom this catalogue is devoted and shows him as
somebody deeply focussed and rational. Personal
emotions, no matter how powerfully felt, were not
allowed to interfere with his life’s mission, which was
to tell of what happened.
The clichéd idea of time being a great healer
does not apply to those who suffered during the
Holocaust. However, the gap of half a century
does allow “the man who suffers and the mind
that creates” a period to assimilate his experiences,
if not to actually come to terms with them. It is a
commonplace of Holocaust art and literature that
the survivors need to bury their memories, often
for decades, before feeling able to confront them.
This is not just pertinent to Holocaust survivors.
Men and women who witnessed other explosions
of savagery have also kept things deeply submerged.
Partners and families often have no idea of what
their loved‑ones experienced. Sometimes, silence
seems the only option.
Following the war, England became Roman’s
home. His post-war career as an architect was a great
success. His practice thrived. His work is mentioned
in Pevsner’s The Buildings of England. He formed
friendships, both professional and personal, with
many of the leading figures of his day. These years
also saw a happy marriage to Susie Nador and the
raising of three children, facilitated surely by keeping
40  Roman Halter

fig. 1

Mother with Babies
1974
Oil on canvas
Imperial War Museum

silent, not just to others but to himself as well. In
1973 however, with the support of his family, he
gave up his professional career. After three decades,
the need to talk became overwhelming. Following
this decision, came a remarkable second career,
that of artist. He began to paint and draw. He took a
three-month course to learn about stained glass and
etching, which was to equip him with the technical
means to express his vision. Indeed, the art of
stained glass was to become especially significant
for him.
He also began to order his thoughts for Roman’s
Journey. Roman often used to talk about his
grandfather who, as the Holocaust began to reach
boiling point, made his 12-year-old grandson
promise that when he survived he would tell people
about what he had seen, about what had happened.
And Roman would always emphasise that his
grandfather had said “when” and not “if ”.
In 2006 the Imperial War Museum acquired
a set of seven paintings (figs. 1–7) that had been