When I began searching for my great-grandfather’s lost work, I knew of only the pieces held by my family. It was from these pieces that I came to know and understand his body of work, his mode of expression, and a community he loved. Although my family has lamented the loss of the larger and once complete oeuvre, each piece is important in and of itself because it tells a story; a fleeting moment through which we can peer into the past. But as I continue to search, and find (!), lost and missing pieces I learn more and gain greater insight into his body of work. Each painting is a fragment of a larger story, and as I slowly recover images of his works held by others, a larger picture begins to reveal itself.
Today, the 2nd of the 17 photographs I received from the Jewish Historical Institute, in Warsaw, of works by my great-grandfather in their possession. (Please know that they have a total of 52 of his pieces.)
I’m fascinated by this piece. It seems so very unlike the style of his that I know so well and looks so very much like he’s trying out the flair of another artist. To me it is reminiscent of a Chagall. I find that so interesting because the piece is dated 1932, a time not so very early in his career. I’ve never seen another piece of his quite like this.
Notes from ZIH: akwarela/karton. Dwaj Zydzi na ulicy malego miasteczka [Two Jews on the street a small town] 1932
