My favorite kind of posts to write are the ones where I get to share information about my great-grandfather’s paintings that are, to me, finds. Yesterday, I received an email from the Jewish Historical Institute (ZIH) in Warsaw. Their email contained photos of 17 (!!) Moshe Rynecki paintings that I had never (EVER!) seen before. It’s hard to describe what it’s like to see one of my great-grandfather’s paintings for the first time. The joy, the excitement, the thrill…it’s all part of my experience. This painting particularly grabbed me. I immediately recognized the piano and the stool – they appear in a painting in my family’s possession. But the woman, who is the woman? Is it Moshe’s wife, Perla? Is it his daughter, Bronislawa? He paints her so clearly – in a style and manner as if it really is someone he knows well and is close to him. I find the painting absolutely stunning and mesmerizing. Stay tuned, I will continue to share the other 16 photos over the coming days.
On the left: Acquired by ZIH in 1946. Inventory # A-781. “Mloda kobieta przy pianinie” [A young woman at the piano] dated 1926
Painting at right: Pianist. Held by the Rynecki family. undated.
