Over the years (we’re talking centuries) there have been a number of brilliant, unique Jewish artists who have managed to depict the world around them in their own special way. Although there are too many to cover in one article, it’s important to take the time to consider those who were arguably the most influential.
Specifically, the works of Marc Chagall, Samuel Seeburger and Sonia Delauny all did something which surpassed everyday art. They were, in many ways, movements in themselves. They added something new to the art scene which had not been seen before, and the value of their work is still felt in all the other artists they have inspired today. Let’s take a moment to look at these artists and what was so special about their work.
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Samuel Seeburger
While he is arguably not as well known in the art scene today as his counterparts Chagall and Delauny, Seeburger was an astounding Jewish artist who imprinted a piece of magic into every scene he painted. Even something so simple as a rabbi holding a silver etrog box was moving and beautiful in its simplicity. Being known for their involvement in the Sukkot holiday, etrogs are an important part of Jewish culture, and yet hardly any artists had ever detailed them in a painting like this. Seeburger offered something unique, simple, stark and ultimately moving.
Notable Works Include
- Rabbi In Prayer
- Hassid With An Etrog
- Along The Nile
Marc Chagall
Perhaps one of the best-known Jewish painters of the twentieth century, Marc Chagall used cubism impressionism to depict a number of well-known Jewish scenes and make them different. He was a painter who was not afraid to put his own spin on classic pieces of the Torah, and it was that risk-taking which made him such an important part of Jewish creativity at the time. “White Crucifixion”, specifically, depicted the scene of Jesus’s crucifixion in a way that intertwined the context of the Jewish plight at the time, which was both brave and incredibly moving. Today, his work can mostly be found in the Art Institute of Chicago, but it is in the art pieces of other painters where his legend truly lives on.
Notable Works Include
- White Crucifixion
- Paris Through The Window
- I And The Village
Sonia Delauny
Having spent most of her working life in Paris, Sonia Delauny was a brilliant Jewish artist who made a big impact on the French art scene. She was a key figure in the Paris avant-garde movement, using the techniques which she learned in Russia to create emotional, strange and technically beautiful art pieces. “Electric Prisms”, especially, is an art piece which is well ahead of its time. Using stark, bright colours and abstract patterns, she manages to elicit emotion in a painting with no subject matter at all. This is an impressive feat, and it’s a skill which artists today still glean inspiration from.
Notable Works Include
- Simultaneous Dresses
- Prose On The Trans-Siberian Railway And Of Little Jehanne Of France
- Electric Prisms
