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JEWISH ARTISTS IN AMERICA

C. A. Wilcox

Builders' Supplies

SOME CRITICAL STUDIES

By KONRAD BERCOVICI

first time I was struck by this singu-
lar quality of his work. I scented the
musician. The lines were not drawn;
they were sung. Little did I then
know how near I was to the truth,
but, after I knew the man better, he
once unbosomed himself to me. In
his early youth he meant to be a mu-
sician—a violinist, precisely. And it
was only then that I understood com-
pletely the soul of the artist's work.

There are two kinds of Jewish
lists. Some are artists born from
ewish parents whose work has very
tile, if anything, characteristically
, wish, and others are completely
ewish in their methods and suject
m atter.
The first consider their ancestry a
indrance to their advancement in
ociety and often try to erase what-
ver may be Jewish in their work.
t hey also sacrifice on the altar of
s uccess what is best in them, and
what generally lives, the soul of a
work of art.
With such we have nothing in com-
mon to share except our pity or con-
min, OS the case may be. Such
a rtists we do well to call "Jew artists"
to distinguish them from Jewish art-
ists. And now that I am through

for a miracle to happen, a miracle
that will bring them all back home.
If an exhibition of works of Jewish
artists could be organized in New
York, it would serve as one of the
best arguments against such people
who, measuring depth by their own
shallowness, still doubt that the Jews
are a nation.
Surely we have given enough to the
world. It is high time that we begin
to think of ourselves and husband
what is ours, that we no longer feel
happy when others appreciate us, that

we live a little for ourselves. We
must begin to learn, to appreciate the
works of an artist before he is dead,
before a little note in his biography
tells us that he was a Russian born
of Jewish parents.
There are hundreds of Jewish art-
ists in New York. Most of them 'line
high national Weiss, conscious or not.
The works of a good many of then,
were highly praised by authorities
art. But very few of them were eve r
encouraged in their labors by their
own people.

You Are Fortunate

Home comfort is as typically
American as the Statue of Liberty.
No other people in the world have
so many domestic conveniences.

One must place himself in the nec-
essary mood ere he has communicated !
with the artist. Humane and tragic
as the symphonies of Beethoven, the
dancing rhythms are frequently
drowned by what stirs beneath them.
And yet Walkowitz can be as happy
as a child. Ile paints groups of play-
ing youths and with his own brush
he puts sunshine, the sunshine our
youth so seldom bate in, on their
with this little explanation, I will
face and bodies. Why? It is Shu-
consider the second group. These are
bert, the immortal Shubert, singing
of far greater importance to us be-
A. WALKOWITZ
of joy and sunshine even while he
cause of their sincerity and because
perished in his youth.
"A dying tree in Palestine, or
of their daily sacrifices to the past
There are several hundred draw-
-I' I and future of their race. I feel, something more," he answered as he
ings Walkowitz has made of Isadore
therefore, that this article ought not drew a heavy puff of smoke from his
faithful pipe.
Lichtenstein has illustrated several
Yiddish books, and his pencil always
caught the general spirit, sometimes
even interpreting the author or the
poet. And what shall one say about
Pan's work? In the short time he
is with us we all got acquainted
with it.
And Maurice Sterne, Auerbach
Levy, Ostrovsky, Meyerowitz, Gus-
HARRISON AND R. R., ROYAL OAK, MICH.
sow, with his vibrating colors, who
has caught in some of his paintings
the very soul of the perturbed Jew
as he wends his way to the syna-
.
usimuummu
gogue. One is compelled to think that
15 i111111111111 11111111111111 iimi nussis usssiss
the artist sees in that not only re-
ligion but also self-assertion — the
fight against the tide of assimilation.
And even Jerome Meyers, who wants
to think he is drawn to the East Side
only because he finds there pictur-
esque types; he, who half refuses to
PORTRAIT OF A WOMAN
AN OLD MAN
be a Jew, unconsciously finds himself
—By Paul Grafsteln
— By A. Walkowitz
only when he interprets the Jew.
to be a critical analysis but a testi-
Yet of all those artists, warm and Duncan, that wonderful dancer.
wonderful as they are, none reaches They were exhibited last year at the
Lafayette 5837
mony of love and respect.
6103 • 11 Michigan Ave.
I shall speak of a few of them I the depth and height of A. Walko- Daniel Galleries and admired by all
know well, with whom I have been witz. You certainly have met him, critics. Heine sings somewhere, "I)as
in daily contact for years. Ben Benn, have seen him, if you ever went where Tanzen ist ein singen mit den bein-
who, entirely self-taught, has suc- good music was played.
en." The (lance is the song of the
ceeded to rank among the best artists
You certainly have met the little limbs. One is moved to think that
in
America.
Ben
Bonn,
whose
paint-
fellow, and if you have not, you Walkowitz took this as a motto when
HAY, GRAIN, OATS, FEED AND STRAW
,
ings and drawings have adorned should. He looks at you and one has he drew her.
a
We also sell the Buckee
many
an
exhibition,
thinks
with
brush
y Incubators, Security Brooders nd Standard
I
the impression that he immediately And the hundreds of Jewish heads he
s.
and colors. He does not paint what looks inwardly in
Broo der. Also •gents for Globe Feed
i himself—to see in drew with so much love are Ilebrew
he sees—he paints what he thinks. the mirror of his soul what impression melodies. He cherished and kissed
Supplies.
a
Come nd see as when in need of Poultry
I For him the brush replaces the pen
every wrinkle of the old faces and
you have left there.
as a medium of expression. Were he
Ben Benn looks upon painting as a put light in the hopeless eyes—the
to write instead of paint, he would
medium to solve his own philosophical light of the ones that always wait
give as treatises of speculative phi-
problems; Lichtenstein as upon deco-
losophy about form and its relation to
rations, but Walkowitz is the singer
the cosmos.
Not having a country of his own , of form and color.
A group of Jews in the fish market,
Ihe possesses the earth and more; the
1 whole cosmos is his. Ile does not young people bathing in the sea, an
old
man with "Sepher Torah" in his
paint a "Mother and Child." Through
the medium of the Jewish mother he hands, a mother undressing a child—
thinks of motherhood. His abstrac- these are all songs in color and form.
tion often go so far that he complete- Walkowitz has not made a specialty
ly loses ground—on earth—and his of Jewish subjects. lie is too ab-
drawings, as well as his paintings, stract a mind for that. lie looks upon
represent some cosmic geometrical the palette as a musician upon the
figure interlaced one in another. But keyboard of the piano, or rather like
even in his most abstract work there on the stops of an organ. The indus-
try of the man is phenomenal. I
is always the unsurpassed Jew.
But his best work is where he ren- have seen in his studio thousands of
dered East Side groups—clusters of drawings, water colors, paintings,
bearded men in Hester Park, push- panels, etchings. His moods range
8345 HAMILTON AVE. Phones Northway 0457-6066
•••
cart peddlers sitting near their wart., from the most tender and subtle
...-
almond-shaped eyes and drooping nuances to the boldest colors. From
mouths which bespeak the whole mis- the diminished accord to the aug -
t ery and hope of an unfortunate peo- mented major. One of his paintings
ple — of his people — because Ben is a lullaby and the next one is a
tAle evrto.,
Benn has never taken himself out of military march—one, a Jewish wom-
an bowing to fate, resigned; another,
the pale.
Or take Isaac Lichtenstein. Were a naked body of a man swinging a
one to attempt to call him a Jewish hammer with such force that he
artist he would protest very vigorous- could„ with one blow, break the chain
ly. Yet hardly able to carry a knap- holding him to the routine of life.
sack he traveled to Palestine from
Walkowitz's drawings are consid-
ehl
Poland "for a vacation," as he puts ered the best in America. In Europe
it. Yet not only has he found there they thought so highly of them that
•
C
.
inspiration for his work amongst the they
were printed in an album, to-
hills and valleys of his forefathers,' gather with those of the late Auguste
but even today, after many years, he Rodin, the great French sculptor.
still paints from memory scenes and
Ile draws the pencil on paper with
types from Palestine. Lichtenstein
the same spirit of purity as a virtu-
is essentially a decorative artist, and oso violinist draws his bow over the
al.'. - 10HE sprightly tempo of Jean Goldkette's Book-Cadillac
it is too bail that he is not better string, giving you the most delicate
_s. .- orchestra gives a vivacious note to dinner or after'
known as such. To him men, women, sound, appreciable only by the best
SECOND AND STATE STREETS
theatre parties in the Blue Room. Incomparable music
.
flowers and trees are all the same— trained ears, or he sweeps his bow
they serve one purpose: to decorate. voluptuously to its full length until
WI % a 7 plus Detroit's finest dance floor has made the Blue Room
Phones Main 1018.0259
Pipe in mouth, he criticizes his own the very depths of your soul vibrate
a popular rendezvous for discriminating dancers. Perfect cuisine
work even more severely than he does in sympathy. Not a scratch, not one
and service add greatly to the enjoyment of dining in either
s the works of other artists. I can disagreeable sound. For this Walko
the Blue Room, English Grill or Venetian Restaurant.
never forget the impression one of witz has the advantage over the vio-
his paintings made on me. An Id linist. When the player has once mis-
Except Sunday from
tree, the bark wrinkled up and the judged his bow he cannot retract; he
Dinner Dance in Iliac Room Every Night
de Luxe in Blue Room and
trunk bent, lifts its dry branches to
7 P. tn. to I a. 711. Special Dinner
must go 011 further. Walkowitz can
a hopeless sky.
English Grill from 6 to 8:30 p. In. Price $2.00
erase.
And what is that?" I asked the
When I saw his drawings for the
and English
artist.
Club Luncheon at $1.25 served daily in Blue Room

Foreigners marvel at the things
which American housekeepers
take for granted—a central heat-
ing system, gas equipped kitchens,
instantaneous hot water supply in
shining white bathrooms. They
regard these things as luxuries for
the very rich. Americans accept
them as a matter of course with-
out thought of where they come
from, or why. Yet the story of their
development is not an old one.

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Its evolution from its crude begin-
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45,000,000 people in 4,600
American communities depend
upon it for the preparation of
food. This has been accomplished
by careful study and experimen-
tation by gas experts to meet the
public need.

1111111111111111111111111111111111111111 111111111111110

PASSOVER GREETINGS

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CHANGING IDEAS IN ETHICAL STANDARDS

THE BOOK-CADILLAC HOTEL COMPANY

By DR. IRA E. SANDERS

And so• all the ethical standards
Men are usually guided by some
sort of ethical code whereby their propounded by the great schoolmen
moral vision might be strengthened. and philosophers have a dualism of
During our adolescent years, we set ethical content, no matter if they be
'our minds upon some course of hu- grounded upon Kant's maxim of the
man conduct which, if devoutly prac- "universal law" or Spencer's "free-
Geed, will bring us the highest amount dom for all." If we accept moral
standards applicable to ourselves, we
of possible good.
Thus some of us seek the fulfill- must allow these same laws of ethics
, wont of the enlightened ego and hope to guide the lives of others. In the
1 to find in the unfoldment of the self case of Kant's "so act that thy maxim
the highest ethical values. Again of conduct can become a universal
there are those who seek the principle law," if you want to slander my name
of altruism, guiding themselves by by the outpourings of the tongue,
the rights and freedom of others. Be- then you must grant me that same
cause man must have these criteria of prerogratvie, since your conduct is
human conduct, moralists of every the standard for universal action.
Every source of ethical standard
generation have attempted to give
I
.;
sonic code of conduct by which the has, therefore, a high and a low cri-
tenon
for human conduct. In fact, j
human race might advance.
The Bible has been just such a the nature of man makes for this /
dualism which is everywhere evi-
source of inspiration to countless mil-
lions. To its pages have gone the as- denced in cosmic forces. Life and
piring sons of men to receive some death, progress and retardation are/
s
source of ethical standard whereby all antitheses in the ordered affairs of f
their souls might wing themselves the universe. The same world forces
heavenward. However, we who con- that bring the one into being cause t
the others to come into existence. In
sider the Bible imperfect, do not be-
lieve that the guide to the ethical life the realm of morality we can only 0
as presented therein is a perfect one, hope to follow the right as we see it.

O

ROY CARRUTHERS, President

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for if it were, it would require a per- We most learn to prize those inter- ye
feet interpreter to expound the vafi- pretations of ethical standards which
ous ethical standards. The Ten Com- will bring to us consummate spiritual
rnandments have given rise to two happiness!
Sabbaths, Saturday and Sunday, both
views based upon the same injunc- JEWISH
tions, and both held as holy by two
opposing religious bodies.
If the "love thy neighbor as thy-
ROME.—(. T. A.)—The art exhi-
self" concept were sincerely followed
literally, it would lead to an unfor- bition of the Polish Jewish sculptor,
tunate state of conditions. If the Glicenstein which opened recently at
the Stage Museum, has turned out to
man who steals — and certainly he
loves himself—were to love his neigh- he an artistic sensation in Italy-.'
*
bor as he does himself, this would be Ilmondo, the greatest living Italian e
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la chaotic world in which to live. The sculptor, declares the new wood sculp- ,
WAY MARKI
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tures
of
Glicenstein
are
revelations
in
categorical imperative of this portico-
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vecoommomswoomemsvcomuss:ssmsvomsssmwoom
to Michael,
, lar ethical standard, therefore, has ■ art and comparable only
Angelo.
low tics well as • high meaning.

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