:t
Ben Shahn's Great Mural of Sacco-Vanzetti Case
of 1920's Is Depicted in Syracuse University Book
Syracuse University Press issued ments of Bush, and primarily to
a most impressive book that serves the essay and commentary by
to remind -its readers of a serious Shahn himself, under the title
event of the 1920s that stirred the "American Painting at Mid-Cen-
Conscience of mankind.
H tury: An Unorthodox View," there
From Once to time, the Sacco- is the 1958 Shahn Serigraph, "Pas-
Vanzetti Case is brought to public sion of Sacco and Vanzetti," which
attention again—in most instances contains this quotation from a let-
viewed as a miscarriage of justice. ter Vanzetti wrote to his son:
"If it had not been for these
There have been some defenders
things, I might have live out my
of the court that convicted the two
life talking at street corners to
Italian anarchists to death in a
scorning men. I might have die,
payroll holdup and a murder. But
unmarked, unknown, a failure.
opinion generally held that Nicolo
Now we are not a failure. This
Sacco and Bartolemeo Vanzetti
is our career and our triumph.
should not have been martyrized—
Never in our full life could we
primarily for their extreme politic-
hope
to do such work for toter-
at views.
.
ance, for justice, for man's
Among those who continually
understanding of man as we now
held to the view that the two
do by accident. Our words, our
Italians w ere innocent is the
lives, our pains — nothing! The
great artist. Ben Shahn. After 36
taking of our lives—lives of a
years of championing the re-
good shoemaker and a poor fish
minder of the tragedy of that
peddler—all! That last moment
famous case, Shahn produced a
belongs to us—that agony is our
great mural depicting the event
triumph."
and Syracuse University, by dis-
Indeed. the photographs in this
playing it, honors the artist and
gives credence to an important, volume reconstruct the entire case.
not-to-be-forgotten issu e. The Among the first is a photo of the
story of Shahn's interest in the demonstration for the two convict-
case, the mural and the satirical ed Italians on the Champs Elysee
gouaches of the trial that are in Paris and there are drawings of
Shahn's creations and are includ- the convicted, the court. and an
ed in his collection are recorded indicting one of "The Lowell Corn-
in a magnificent and fully illus- mittee."
"In the Courtroom Cage," wit-
trated work by Martin II. -Bush.
entitled !'Ben Shahn: The Pas- nesses, the guards, the prosecutor
ion of Sacco and Vanzetti." pub- (Frederick Katzman), the funeral
fished by Syracuse University procession—many are the descrip-
Press. live illustrations from the Shahn
Inviting serious attention to the collection.
Most significant, of course, is
Collected art work and to the corn
S
Ben Shahn, Renowned Artist
Friday, March 21, 1969 9
THE DETROIT JEWISH , NEWS -
-
Upgrading Talmud Tora Schools Coal of , Program
'of the 130
themural and Bush's account of i NEW YORK (JTA)—The Ortho- of the effort, only
accredited.
a reality is of dox-sponsored Talmud Tora, his schools have been th
how it became
great interest. Bush makes the torically associated with inade
valuable interpretive comment: quate teachers, texts and class-
"Shahn has told the Sacco-Van- room facilities, is the beneficiary
r
zetti story simply and well. There in New York City of a vigorous
t
INCORPORATED
is no explosive hatred in the campaign to upgrade every ele-
mural. Rather it exhibits great ment of its program. Proof of suc-
cess
in
that
endeavor
is
accredi-
1-•••• ■ •
e..reltor.174-
compassion combined with irony
and anger and relies heavily on tation by the New York Commis-
sion
on
Talmud
Tora
Education,
moral values. There is also a
great deal of symbolism in the in which 130 such afternoon
rtistry
s
work, to be sure, for Sacco's schools have membership. Evid-
shadow falls upon the cold, gray ence of the high standards for
accreditation
may
be
seen
in
the
courthouse to indicate that a
fact that during the eight years
smear on justice has been made
by this poorly handled trial ..."
09 a .
G
A
The reproduction of the impres-
sive mural, in several parts, gives
great value to a splendid work,
just as the caricatures and draw-
ings, the' one of Judge Thayer, an-
other of the demonstration in
Union Square, New York, details
of Governor Fuller and others,
have helped to create an historic
.
work.
Lovers of art and historians as
well will be delighted with Shahn's .
essay in which he asserts that the
Sacco-Vanzetti case "was my first
skirmish against injustice via the
paint brush. I was happy about it
artistically, elated about it in
spirit."
"Art is still the citadel of the
-
individual," Shahn declares in his
essay. "It is one of the few re-
maining outposts of free speech
—unprocessed speech. The per-
sonal touch of the artist's hand
remains ineradically upon his
canvas. Whatever he says or
feels is communicated directly
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and without modification to those
who look at his art."
NEW YORK — Ben Shahn. lithographer's apprentice and at-
In so many ways—the reminder
whose political and artistic cour- tended school at night. After stu- of the Sacco-Vanzetti case, the ex-
age made him one. of America's dies at the National Academy of cellent evaluation of the mural by
most admired painters, died Feb. Design. Shahn studied in Europe. Shahn, the reproductions. Shahn's
14 at age 70. Mr. Shahn illustrated Ilis first one-man show was in essay — all combine to make this
a Passover Hagada, highly prized 1930.
Syracuse University - volume a
for its artistic merit. Rivera engaged Shahn to assist great work.
Real recognition came to Mr. him with a controversial fresco for
Shahn with a series of "stories - the RCA Building in Rockefeller
on the trial and execution of Sacco Center. and a later work by Shahn
— for a housing project, showed
Rivera's influence. It was an epic
on immigrants and their march to
economic freedom. •
During the next decade, Shahn
worked on many public projects
under the federal government's
Public Works of Art program, in-
cluding a mural for the Federal''
Security Building in Washington.
During World War II, he designed
posters for the Office of War In-
formation and became artist for
the CIO, for which he worked for
nominal pay because of his attach-
ment to labor's cause. During the
political campaign of Sen. Eugene
BEN SHAHN'S
McCarthy, he donated a poster of
THIRD ALLEGORY
peace dove.
and Vanzetti (see review above) a p In 1954, some 34 of his works
in 1931, followed by another .;et of were hung in the U.S. pavilion at
paintings on labor leader Tom the Veice Biennale. The Museum
Mooney. which were greatly ad of •Modern Art, which mounted the
mired by muralist Diego Rivera. exhibition. chose the work of only
Social justice and the universality two artists for the showing.
of man were the themes in all of
Two years later, Mr. Shahn was
Mr. Shahn's works, which hang in named Charles Eliot Norton Pro-
some of the world's greatest mu- fessor
at Harvard University. The
.
.
scums, including the Detroit In- University
published his lectures
stitute of Arts and New York's the following year.
25 Different Styles
Metropolitan Museum of Art and
Mr. Shahn held many other
in Fi tie Jewels
MOVIES
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Born in Kaunas, Lithuania, Mr. Medal of the American Institute
Shahn was the son of a wood carv-
carpenter, who fostered in of Graphic Arts and a prize
er and
from the Corcoran' Art Gallery
his son a love of Jewish tradition in Washington.
and ritual that appeared in his
His belief that an artist should
paintings.
actively engaged in the life of
At age 8, Ben was brought to be
his time led Mr. Shahn to lend his
this - country by his parents, Hes-
four
name
and prestige to many liberal
sel and Gittel, and with
In the '50s, this brought
brothers and sisters grew up in causes.
right wingers and at-
a two - room coldwatel' flat in attacks by have
his work excluded
Brooklyn. He often did chalk tempts to
the from government-sponsored art
portraits of sports heroes on the
shows sent abroad. In 1959, he was
sidewalks, thus winning over
neighborhood boys.
summoned before the House Corn-
mittee on Un-American Activities,
He eventually found work as a but
he declined to discuss his poli-
s
7-ot
tate
tical affiliations.
Mr. Shahn had five children, two
by a first marriage to Tillie Gold-
stein, three with 'the former Ber-
narda Bryson, also an artist. One
childrdied two years ago. The rest
are artists, except Ezra, professor
of biology at •Hunter College.
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