Jewish agricultural colonization in the USSR .. The sequel

Mark Epstein: “Man with a Scythe”. Ink on paper. 1927. From the series "Jewish collective farms. Crimea"

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Russian Empire became the epicenter of the movement aimed at the formation of modern Jewish art. For a short, but fruitful period, the young generation of artists, well versed in the achievements of both Western avant-garde art and Jewish traditional culture, managed to synthesize the lessons of cubism, futurism and expressionism with the plastic qualities of folk ornament, which at that time were discovered by ethnographic expeditions. To a large extent, this project became possible thanks to the efforts of the Kultur-Lige – an organization founded in Kiev in 1918 with the goal of developing Jewish secular culture in Yiddish. Its artistic department determined the contours of the new national style through exhibitions, publishing and educational activities. When at the end of 1920 the Communist Party took control over the Kultur-Lige, many of its members left Kiev and settled in other cities. Among those who decided to stay was Mark Epstein – a sculptor and graphic artist, one of the founders and first teachers at the Kultur-Lige art studio. Read more...