DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.41588#0070
to Russia. Separate Jewish artistic institutions were sormed such as the Jewish Society sor the
Development os Art, which organized a large exhibition in Moscow in 1917, and the Central
Committee os the League sor Jewish Culture (the so - called Kultur—Lige). The Kultur—Lige was
established in 1918 in Kiev and combined support sor the Revolution with a programme os revival os
Jewish culture. Its members included Lasar (El) Lissitzky (Lisicki), Isachar Bcr Riback (Rybak), and
Boris Aronson. A tendency towards sormulating principles os a new Jewish art was a sorce which in
1919 gathered around the State Jewish Theatre in Moscow the most outstanding Jewish painters
working at the time in Russia — Altman, Chagall, Lissitzky, and Riback. They created an insormal
group with a distinct artistic expression, described as the „Jewish expressionist” style, and opposed
nineteenth - century realism, which, in the case os Jewish painters, introduced national motiss but did
not strive towards introducing a separate artistic language. Impressionism was regarded as the art os
the assimilated Jews.
The ideas os the revival os Jewish culture quickly reached Poland, where they adjoined the local
traditions.
The Jung Idysz (fig. 59) group was sounded in Lodz at the turn os 1918 as the outcome os two
exhibitions — ’’Soring” (held in April) and ’’Winter” (held in December), organized by the
Association of Artists and Adherents os the Beaux Arts in Lodz. This association, established in 1917,
was dominated by Jewish artists who constituted the majority os the Lodz artistic environment. For
the sirst time works os the suture members os the group were shown, such as those by Barcinski,
Brauner, Dina Matus, and Szwarc at the sirst exhibition, and by Adler, Barcinski, and Matus at the
second, (sig. 69)
In a review os the sirst exhibition, Bernard Singer wrote in the daily Folksblat that Jewish artists
should not represent Polish art. He appealed to them to reject motiss os Polish origin in savour os
those taken srom their own history, literature, and mythology which revealed the ’’Jewish spirit”. The
exhibition was supposed to be ’’the sirst step taken by the Lodz artists”. Herszelc, poet and coworkcr
os the group , stated in the Lodzer Tagblat that all nations, regardless os their size and prosperity, try
to develop their own national art and support their own artists. Art, he wrote, is ’’the mirror of the
soul” os every nation. Despite the popularity os several Jewish artists, such as Antokolski, Izaak
Lewitan, or Ilia Ginzburg, the Jewish society, Herszelc added, has a”co!d and indisserent” attitude
towards art. He criticized it sor the absence os institutions (exhibitions, galleries, museums, artistic
periodicals) which would assist Jewish art. The repercussions of these two exhibitions made the Lodz
artists aware os the necessity to choose a path disserent srom the one pursued by the Polish painters.
The oldest member os the Jung Idysz group was Wincenty (Icchak) Brauner, born in Lodz in 1887.
Aster studying at the Hochschule sür die bildenden Künste in Berlin (1908-1911), he returned to Lodz
and sormed a group os artists and authors os the young generation, who met in his studio or the house
os his parents to discuss the newest trends in art and the problems os national art. Brauricr’s paintings
were insluenced by post impressionism, especially van Gogh, in whose honour he even changed his
name. Around 1919 his ’’Nude” already revealed a sharp deformation of shapes (sig. 60, 62).
The people who visited Brauner included the earlier mentioned sculptor and graphic artist Marek
Szwarc (born in 1892 in Zgierz), who in 1910 lest sor the Ecote de Beaux Arts in Paris and there joined
a group os Jewish artists living in La Ruche. Aster returning to Lodz in 1914, Szwarc spent the war
there and in Odessa where, under the insluence os the literary works os Mendel Mojcher Ssorim,
Nachman Bialik, and Achad Haam, he attampted to create themes srom he classics of Jewish
literature. During his stay in Kiev in 1918, Szwarc probably became acquainted with the activity of
Kultur—Lige. His sculptures, such as ”Eve’\ shown at the Autumn Salon in Paris in 1914, indicate
that at this time the artist was closest to the classical trend. In 1915 the sirst individual exhibition os
68
Development os Art, which organized a large exhibition in Moscow in 1917, and the Central
Committee os the League sor Jewish Culture (the so - called Kultur—Lige). The Kultur—Lige was
established in 1918 in Kiev and combined support sor the Revolution with a programme os revival os
Jewish culture. Its members included Lasar (El) Lissitzky (Lisicki), Isachar Bcr Riback (Rybak), and
Boris Aronson. A tendency towards sormulating principles os a new Jewish art was a sorce which in
1919 gathered around the State Jewish Theatre in Moscow the most outstanding Jewish painters
working at the time in Russia — Altman, Chagall, Lissitzky, and Riback. They created an insormal
group with a distinct artistic expression, described as the „Jewish expressionist” style, and opposed
nineteenth - century realism, which, in the case os Jewish painters, introduced national motiss but did
not strive towards introducing a separate artistic language. Impressionism was regarded as the art os
the assimilated Jews.
The ideas os the revival os Jewish culture quickly reached Poland, where they adjoined the local
traditions.
The Jung Idysz (fig. 59) group was sounded in Lodz at the turn os 1918 as the outcome os two
exhibitions — ’’Soring” (held in April) and ’’Winter” (held in December), organized by the
Association of Artists and Adherents os the Beaux Arts in Lodz. This association, established in 1917,
was dominated by Jewish artists who constituted the majority os the Lodz artistic environment. For
the sirst time works os the suture members os the group were shown, such as those by Barcinski,
Brauner, Dina Matus, and Szwarc at the sirst exhibition, and by Adler, Barcinski, and Matus at the
second, (sig. 69)
In a review os the sirst exhibition, Bernard Singer wrote in the daily Folksblat that Jewish artists
should not represent Polish art. He appealed to them to reject motiss os Polish origin in savour os
those taken srom their own history, literature, and mythology which revealed the ’’Jewish spirit”. The
exhibition was supposed to be ’’the sirst step taken by the Lodz artists”. Herszelc, poet and coworkcr
os the group , stated in the Lodzer Tagblat that all nations, regardless os their size and prosperity, try
to develop their own national art and support their own artists. Art, he wrote, is ’’the mirror of the
soul” os every nation. Despite the popularity os several Jewish artists, such as Antokolski, Izaak
Lewitan, or Ilia Ginzburg, the Jewish society, Herszelc added, has a”co!d and indisserent” attitude
towards art. He criticized it sor the absence os institutions (exhibitions, galleries, museums, artistic
periodicals) which would assist Jewish art. The repercussions of these two exhibitions made the Lodz
artists aware os the necessity to choose a path disserent srom the one pursued by the Polish painters.
The oldest member os the Jung Idysz group was Wincenty (Icchak) Brauner, born in Lodz in 1887.
Aster studying at the Hochschule sür die bildenden Künste in Berlin (1908-1911), he returned to Lodz
and sormed a group os artists and authors os the young generation, who met in his studio or the house
os his parents to discuss the newest trends in art and the problems os national art. Brauricr’s paintings
were insluenced by post impressionism, especially van Gogh, in whose honour he even changed his
name. Around 1919 his ’’Nude” already revealed a sharp deformation of shapes (sig. 60, 62).
The people who visited Brauner included the earlier mentioned sculptor and graphic artist Marek
Szwarc (born in 1892 in Zgierz), who in 1910 lest sor the Ecote de Beaux Arts in Paris and there joined
a group os Jewish artists living in La Ruche. Aster returning to Lodz in 1914, Szwarc spent the war
there and in Odessa where, under the insluence os the literary works os Mendel Mojcher Ssorim,
Nachman Bialik, and Achad Haam, he attampted to create themes srom he classics of Jewish
literature. During his stay in Kiev in 1918, Szwarc probably became acquainted with the activity of
Kultur—Lige. His sculptures, such as ”Eve’\ shown at the Autumn Salon in Paris in 1914, indicate
that at this time the artist was closest to the classical trend. In 1915 the sirst individual exhibition os
68