Oppenheim studied briefly in Paris, but it was his
time in Italy, where the artist spent four years (1821-
25), that set the course of his artistic style.
He joined a circle of German artists called the
Nazarenes, Protestant pietistic artists who painted
New Testament themes. Under their influence,
Oppenheim began to paint biblical scenes from the
lives of Abraham, Moses and Tobias.
While in Rome, Oppenheim won a drawing com-
petition in 1924, but was denied the prize because
he was Jewish. The Danish-born, Rome-based sculp-
tor Bertel Thorvaldsen intervened on Oppenheim's
behalf by seeing that no other artist received the
prize that Oppenheim deserved.
This story, recorded in Oppenheim's autobiogra-
phy, has become a parable of his life and his ability
to overcome anti-Semitism in the art world.
But it was also in Italy where Oppenheim first
made contact with Baron Carl-Mayer von Rothschild,
scion of the Rothschild banking family, who support-
ed the artist by buying many of his paintings. That
fortuitous connection served Oppenheim well when
he settled in Frankfurt in 1825.
The Rothschild family became Oppenheim's great-
est sponsor, earning the artist the moniker of the
"Painter of the Rothschilds and the Rothschild of
the Painters." Aside from ability, Oppenheim was
ambitious and opportunistic and served not only as
the family's private portraitist but an art dealer.
One of the most beautiful family portraits is that
of Charlotte von Rothschild as a Bride, painted in
1836 on the occasion of her marriage to her first
cousin, Lionel, whose portrait is also on exhibit.
Charlotte was the daughter of Carl von Rothschild
of Naples; Lionel was the son of Nathan von
Rothschild of the London branch. In Charlotte's
painting, Oppenheim borrows from Italian
Renaissance paintings, most notably Botticelli's
famous Primavera, likening the Rothschilds to the
Medicis.
Until the time of Oppenheim, Jews were por-
trayed in derogatory ways, with hooked noses and
other forms of caricature. In the portraits of the
Rothschilds, they are presented as bankers and solid
citizens, handsomely dressed. The artist established
an aura of respectability and self-confidence for the
banking family that legitimized them. "No longer
are they Jewish moneylenders but leading members
of the banking community," says Goldstein.
As part of the first generation of Jewish bour-
geoisie, Oppenheim received commissions from other
Jewish intelligentsia, including bankers, physicians
and academics. Self Portrait with his First Wife,
.Adelheid, nee Cleve (1829) reflects, in the couple's fin-
ery and demeanor, Oppenheim's success as a "society
painter" of both Jews and non Jews in Frankfurt.
Tolerance was a major theme for Oppenheim. The
painting Felix Mendeissohn-Bartholdy Plays for Goethe,.
in which the then most celebrated Jewish composer in
Europe plays for the non-Jewish poet (whom the
musician was visiting while on tour), demonstrates the
discreet way Oppenheim dealt with notions of toler-
ance. Goethe, who died in 1832, was ambivalent in
his feelings about Jews. The 1864 painting hearkens
back to an earlier event in history to make its point.
One of the most important paintings reflecting
Oppenheim as both an agent and product of change
is the artist's Return of the Volunteer, painted in
1833-34. It too recalls an earlier time in history in
its depiction of a soldier who is fighting for the unit-
ed German regions against Napoleon in 1814-15,
known as the Wars of Liberation. The volunteer has
abandoned tradition to fight for the Vaterland, the
Fatherland, and on the Sabbath returns to his family,
who live according to old accustomed ways.
The painting is best understood in terms of its his-
torical context.
During the Wars of Liberation, explains Goldstein,
all over Germanic lands, many volunteers, including
Jewish volunteers, fought to rout Napoleon and return
to German sovereignty. It's exceptionally ironic, he
continues, because Jews had full civic rights under
Napoleonic codes. When Napoleon was defeated,
German lands returned to self-rule and Jews went back
to. medieval status, with all their rights abrogated.
The young volunteer, representing the generation
influenced by the ideals of the Enlightenment, returns
to his family despite the prohibition of traveling on
the Sabbath. With this scene Oppenheim takes up the
issue of the inherent conflict among the newly eman-
cipated Jewish bourgeoisie between the demands of
religion and the responsibilities of citizenship.
The painting's political daring, not inconsiderable
for its time, was its determination to expose the mil-
itary accomplishments of Jews while at the same
time illustrate the dignity of Jewish culture.
Oppenheim is best known for his series of genre
paintings, "Scenes From Traditional Jewish Family
Life," painted in the last 20 years of his life. It was
this series of German Jewish family rituals that earned
Oppenheim the title of the "first Jewish painter."
Beginning with Return of the Volunteer,
Oppenheim repeatedly took on the topic of Jewish
life in his art. Since color reproductions were not yet
technically feasible, Oppenheim painted grisailles,
monochromatic paintings in shades of gray to serve
as models for the lithographs. The first edition of
1866 included six paintings. Their huge success led
to further scenes and new editions.
Drawing on the memories of his youth in Hanau
and the old Judengasse (Jewish ghetto) in Frankfurt,
the series is a nostalgic idealization of German
Jewish life. More than documents of religious prac-
tice, they are symbols of traditional heritage, market-
ed to an increasingly emancipated Jewish audience
and illustrating the complex challenges and tensions
posed by German Jewry's newly achieved political
and social opportunities.
"They are also important because they are greatly
romanticized versions of how things used to be,"
notes Goldstein. "Many Jews who left behind tradi-
tional Jewish practice could hang on the walls of
their homes sentimental remembrances of their past."
In Sabbath Eve, the father blesses his family, while in
Soldiers at a Minyan (Yahrtzeit), Oppenheim empha-
sizes both Jewish patriotism and adherence to faith.
In another scene, Marriage Ceremony, the bride
and groom are joined under a prayer shawl serving
as a chuppah in front of the Frankfurt Synagogue
and Jewish ghetto.
The one artifact in the exhibit is a goblet designed
by Oppenheim in collaboration with a sculptor and
silversmith. It was made as a gift to Adolphe
Clockwise from top
•
Marc Chagall.
"The Promenade,"
1917-18. This painting,
like many large canvases,
celebrates the love
between Chagall and
his wife Bella.
Marc Chagall:
`Music," 1920, is one
of the murals the artist
painted for the
State Jewish
Chamber Theater
in Moscow.
Marc Chagall.
"Introduction to the
Jewish Theaten" 1920.
This work, the largest
of the State Jewish
Chamber Theater
murals, suggests a
Jewish Purim carnival
atmosphere.
The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow; © 2000 Artists Rights Society
7/27
2001
67