96
Friday, October 19, 1984
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
srael Kaplansky's love of art is
very much in evidence throughout the
Southfield apartment he shares with
his wife, Mildred. Oil paintings and
pen-and-ink drawings line the walls.
Sculptured figures of plaster, bronze,
and steel are on display in almost
every room. Small, glass objets d'art
and colorful silk flower arrangements
are scattered about, and numerous
bookshelves are filled-to-bursting
with a large and impressive collection
of books on art and artists.
"When I started out, I wanted to
become an artist. But, because of cir-
cumstances, I had to give it up," says
Kaplansky, 74, who immigrated on his
own to Toronto from his native Poland
in 1927.
Now semi-retired from his job as a
Southfield realtor, it seems he may
realize that dream after all. He has
returned to the work he loves best —
sculpting and painting — and has
begun to display some of his work pro-
fessionally.
Soon after his arrival in Toronto
57 years ago, Kaplansky found work
as a sewing machine operator during
the day, and began attending
sculpture classes at night at the On-
tario College of Art, studying under
noted Canadian artist, James E. H.
MacDonald.
"Coming from a small town in Po-
land, my education was limited," says
Kaplansky, the son of a merchant, and
one of eight children (three of whom
perished in concentration camps). In
Opatow, they did not accept any Jews
into the high school, which was a pri-
vate school maintained by the peas-
ants.
"But I was always very much in-
terested in art, although none of my
family were artists."
Having no training in art what-
soever, Kaplansky was admitted to the
Ontario College of Art in 1928, on the
basis of a small number of drawings he
had done.
"The classes at night were from 7
to 9 and, often, I'd stay until 11 o'clock,
working," he says. "That was my
studio at the time and I took advan-
tage of it." Eventually, he became so
excited about the sculpture classes
that he often dropped in on daytime
sessions when he had the time, even
though he was officially enrolled only
for evening classes. It was a little bit
of chutzpah on my part, I suppose," he
recalls, smiling.
LETTE and
Southfield realtor Max Kaplansky
finally has the time for his studio
BY VICTORIA DIAZ
Special to The Jewish News
After two years, his work came to
the attention of a Toronto monthly
called the Jewish Standard and,
shortly thereafter, the Toronto Daily
Star featured an interview with the
young, up-and-coming artist, along
with several photographs of his work.
Soon, his sculpture was being ex-
hibited at the Ontario Artists' Society,
the Canadian Sculpture Society, the
Canadian National Exhibition and at
the prestigious National Gallery in
Ottawa. A bronze head of Yiddish poet
and dramatist H. Leivick was also
placed in the Jewish Library in
Montreal.
Despite the success he was achiev-
ing in the art world Kaplansky still
found that he could not support him-
self through his art.
"Oh, I had all kinds of invitations
from various organizations," he says.
"And I had 'commissions' — but many
were commissions without money. For
example, the Hadassah in Toronto had
a contest every year for `the most beau-
tiful child.' And, since I was in the
limelight at the time, they approached
me one year to make , a bust of the win-
ning child, which.I did. The compensa-
tion was that I was invited for tea! -
"`You can't make a living like
this,' I said to myself."
When his future wife, Nona, left
Toronto in 1936 to work in Detroit,
Kaplansky followed. The couple were
married later that year and Kap-
lansky has remained here since. (Nona
Kaplansky died in 1975.)
Initially having no job in Detroit,
he eventually found work, again in a
clothing factory. "After that, I became
a vacuum cleaner salesman, a furni-
ture salesman. I did a bit of every-
thing," he says.
"Naturally, when I came here, I
was looking for friends in the art world
and I got acquainted with some. I
enrolled at the Arts & Crafts School,
and I worked for a short time with
Samuel Cashman, who was a very
well-known sculptor here.
"But, after that, I practically
didn't do anything in art for a long,
long period of time — around 25 years,
I'd say.
"I was working 60 hours a week. I
came home sometimes 10 o'clock at
night, three nights a week. So that did
not give me an opportunity to go on
with the art. Having to give it up
bothered me, of course, frustrated me.
But I was trying to make a living. And
my family always came first,
"I would say to my wife, look,
Michelangelo I won't be. So, even
though I'm not satisfied, Ill get along
txr-; varb
And who-nay/4r T
have a chance, I'll do.'
"But I dreamed of it always," h
says. "And I always had in the back o
my mind that I would go back to
someday.
"So, about six years ago, I an
semi-retired, and I start to work a lit
tle again. And I keep on working— nc
morning till night but whenever.
have the chance, I'm down to C..
studio in the basement."
Kaplansky's work eventuaf13
paid off. In May 1983, he was invited t
exhibit works of sculpture at the Shel i
don Ross Gallery in Birmingham. He. ;
also been asked to speak to severa
area groups and organizations on hi,
art.
In the tiny studio located in th(
apartment building basement h(
shares with other tenants, Kaplansk'
is presently working on a small cla
sculpture figure he calls "Determi
tion," and also on a large oil portrait o
a dark-haired woman in a red dreA
Amid the clutter of paper towels, coffe
cups, brushes, cardboard boxes, rag
pliers, chisels, containers of shell
vinegar, turpentine, plastic cemen
and various other tools of
scupltor's trade, Kaplansky complai
good-naturedly about the work are
and says he hopes eventually to find
more satisfactory studio in which t
work. In addition to a lack of space
Kaplansky says he also sometimes Cy
periences problems with neighbors be
cause of his work.
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