Items Similar to Proud Chimney Sweep Modern Judaica Shtetl Oil Painting WPA Jewish artist
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 10
Maurice KishProud Chimney Sweep Modern Judaica Shtetl Oil Painting WPA Jewish artist
$4,000
£3,036.73
€3,473.37
CA$5,588.58
A$6,215.72
CHF 3,245.66
MX$75,638.71
NOK 41,451.98
SEK 38,874.65
DKK 25,923.12
Shipping
Retrieving quote...The 1stDibs Promise:
Authenticity Guarantee,
Money-Back Guarantee,
24-Hour Cancellation
About the Item
Genre: Modern
Subject: Klezmer Musicians
Medium: Oil
Surface: Board, size includes artist decorated frame
Country: United States
The imagery of Maurice Kish (1895-1987), whether factories or carousels, reliably subverts expectations. His vision hovers just around the unraveling edge of things, where what is solid and clear becomes ambiguous. He is fascinated, often delighted, by the falling apart. This unexpected, fresh perspective results in oddly affecting pictures of a now long-gone New York.
Born Moishe in a town called Dvinsk, Russia (what is now Daugavpils, Latvia), Kish came with his family to New York when he was in his teens. The family settled in Brownsville, and for the rest of Kish’s life Brooklyn remained his home, though he moved from one neighborhood to another. He was close to his parents, who recognized his talent and supported his desire to become an artist.
Kish attended the National Academy of Design as well as Cooper Union. His fellow students included many other immigrants and children of immigrants who were particularly receptive to the Modernism coming from Europe. As his career progressed, Kish himself applied different strains of Modernism to different purposes. For him, the story was held above all else.
For years, Kish used the skills he acquired in art school to earn his living at a Manhattan glass factory where he painted floral designs on vases. During the Depression, Kish became a WPA painter in the Federal Art Project (FAP). FAP artists were given a mandate to create works that celebrated labor. The artists tended to be socially progressive, as Kish certainly was. Kish's work from this period, with its dark colors and rolling clouds, reveals the influence of Social Realists like Thomas Hart Benton. Apparent, too, is Kish's interest in the urban monumentality of Charles Sheeler. Kish's structures, however, lack Sheeler's almost dehumanized precision. Rather than the soulless, sleek machines of a typical modern urban dystopia, Kish's factories are shaggy old beasts as worn out as the laborers who troop through their doors. In End of Day's Toil, now at the Smithsonian, the viewer feels some affection for that rambly grandfather of a building all the tired small workers are leaving behind.
Much of Kish's work, for the FAP and elsewhere, undermines received truths in a similar way. Some early works with themes from Yiddish culture are overtly humorous: a painting of a big jolly wedding guest, looking invitingly over her shoulder; a Rabbi, a big fiddler on a small roof. Later, the humor becomes more ironic and reflective. In another work, the rather imposing organ grinder of the late 1930s looms above a child, yet his intermediary the cockatoo is bright and appealing, and offers the girl a fortune with his beak. This could read as an allegory for capitalism as easily as a straightforward colorful street scene. A small painting of a snowy day in Washington Square gives a bird's eye view of people bent against the wind walking alone or in pairs. The huge triumphal arch at the middle of it has no connection to their movements or their lives. Kish makes its size and centrality a quiet joke about the futility of grandiose gestures. Like the buildings in his FAP works, the arch has a personality. It is a landmark that looks a bit lost.
A favorite location for Kish was Coney Island. For the laborers of the city, this was a place of great freedom and possibility. There were no bosses! Anyone could go to ride the rides and swim in the sea. For Kish, Coney Island, and especially Luna Park, became a place richly symbolic of workers’ rights. For the dreamlike paintings he set there, Kish looked past the Social Realists to the Expressionists. His colors are brilliant and his lines are wild. These images, joyfully unrestrained, give full voice to an anarchic vision merely hinted at in other works. If the structures of the earlier pictures came further out of the background than expected, these Coney Island structures completely take over the scene.
Kish made several variations on the theme of the carousel as a site of revolution. In the moonlight, the horses have broken from their poles and spin away from the calm center. The workers have come to manic life, have released themselves from the yoke of labor and have abandoned their master, the merry-go-round. They escape to different corners of the pleasure park, dance together and ride the ferris wheel. One horse pretends to be a ticket seller. It is another allegory, one that depicts a worker's holiday paradise in carnival fashion.
A painter who embraced ambiguity, Kish was himself a man who occupied many worlds simultaneously. Even during the period when he had shows at prestigious galleries and belonged to several artists' groups, he identified most strongly as an outsider, a Yiddischer. He wrote poetry in Yiddish throughout his life. In 1968, he published a volume of fifty years of these poems, Di Velt ist Mayn Lid (The World is My Song) in Yiddish, with no English translation, for his peers. Kish also translated English-language poetry into Yiddish and acted as a guide to help other Yiddish writers. Long after the art organizations ceased to provide meaning and fulfillment, Kish was a devoted member of the Yiddish Culture Association.
In addition to painting and poetry, Kish was a dancer who taught during the summers at various Jewish resorts in the Catskills. Small but lithe, he also spent some years as an amateur boxer. Well into his eighties, Kish was proud of the quality of his handball game.
By the 1940s, Kish’s career was going well, but his descriptive style of working began to fall out of fashion, supplanted by a more formal Abstraction. Kish was never able to support himself solely through his art, yet in the midst of all of his other activities, Kish continued to create his distinctive images of an immigrant's New York. He departed far from the mainstream, and in later years, seldom showed his work, preferring to keep it for himself (although he sometimes traded paintings for rent).
Of making art, Kish said, "It is a sacred mission to enrich, to elevate and to make our lives more complete." His works, though frequently playful, encourage a second look at ordinary things. His irreverence elevates by revealing flaws where his audience, all workers and outsiders of a kind, can get a purchase. Kish's art fondly celebrates the beauty of the irregular.
- Creator:Maurice Kish (1895-1987, American)
- Dimensions:Height: 20.5 in (52.07 cm)Width: 16.5 in (41.91 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:minor wear. minor varnish residue.
- Gallery Location:Surfside, FL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU38212767762
About the Seller
4.9
Platinum Seller
Premium sellers with a 4.7+ rating and 24-hour response times
Established in 1995
1stDibs seller since 2014
1,784 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: <1 hour
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Shipping from: Surfside, FL
- Return Policy
Authenticity Guarantee
In the unlikely event there’s an issue with an item’s authenticity, contact us within 1 year for a full refund. DetailsMoney-Back Guarantee
If your item is not as described, is damaged in transit, or does not arrive, contact us within 7 days for a full refund. Details24-Hour Cancellation
You have a 24-hour grace period in which to reconsider your purchase, with no questions asked.Vetted Professional Sellers
Our world-class sellers must adhere to strict standards for service and quality, maintaining the integrity of our listings.Price-Match Guarantee
If you find that a seller listed the same item for a lower price elsewhere, we’ll match it.Trusted Global Delivery
Our best-in-class carrier network provides specialized shipping options worldwide, including custom delivery.More From This Seller
View AllWhimsical Judaica Shtetl Shadchan Matchmaker Oil Painting WPA Jewish Folk Artist
By Maurice Kish
Located in Surfside, FL
Genre: Modern
Subject: Fiddler on the roof, Shtetl matchmaker
Medium: Oil
Surface: Board, size includes artist decorated frame
Country: United States
The imagery of Maurice Kish (18...
Category
Mid-20th Century Folk Art Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil, Board
Fiddler on the Roof Modern Judaica Shtetl Oil Painting WPA Jewish artist
By Maurice Kish
Located in Surfside, FL
Genre: Modern
Subject: Fiddler on the roof
Medium: Oil
Surface: Board, size includes artist decorated frame
Country: United States
The imagery of Maurice Kish (1895-1987), whether f...
Category
Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
Three Klezmer Musicians Modern Judaica Shtetl Oil Painting WPA Jewish artist
By Maurice Kish
Located in Surfside, FL
Genre: Modern
Subject: Klezmer Musicians
Medium: Oil
Surface: Board, size includes artist decorated frame without frame 16X12
Country: United States
The imagery of Maurice Kish (189...
Category
Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
Shtetl Water Carrier, Judaica Oil Painting
By Vladimir Rutstein
Located in Surfside, FL
Judaic Shtetl scene, Chassidic Water Carrier
Vladimir Abramovich Rutstein, Russia • born in 1922, died in 1987.
Wladimir Abramowicz Rutschtein
Russian Jewish Painter...
Category
20th Century Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
Judaica Oil Painting 1945 Palestine Old Jewish Man Polish Israeli Artist
By Ozer Shabat
Located in Surfside, FL
Ozer Shabat 1978-1901
Ozer Shabbat was an Israeli painter, a resident of Haifa. Belonged to the Palestine Expressionist group of the late 1920s and early 1930s.
Shabbat was born in Wolbrom, Poland. At the end of the First World War he went to Holland for agricultural training in the framework of the HeChalutz movement, prior to his immigration to Palestine. In 1920 he immigrated to Eretz Israel and joined the Hulda group. Later he joined the Merhavia group and there he began painting. Because of his desire to study drawing, he left the group and moved to Jerusalem. In 1921, he wrote articles in the newspaper "HaSadeh" on the subject of agriculture and Dutch cheese.
Ozer Shabath won the first prize in a competition for the design of the Dutch Consulate's Garden in Jerusalem, enabling him to travel to Paris in 1923 to study painting. Until 1925 he studied painting at the Grande Chaumiere Academy in Paris. This year he returned to Eretz Israel and settled in Haifa, where he lived until his death.
In 1928 he participated for the first time in an exhibition of Eretz Israel artists at the Tower of David. Since then he has participated in all the general exhibitions of Israeli artists. In 1934, together with painters Menachem Shemi, Avraham Mohar, Zvi Meirovitch and others, he founded the Haifa Artists' Group. In 1935-36 he toured Europe and visited Italy, France and England. During his visit, he maintained contacts with artists from the Jewish school of Paris.
He has exhibited in several solo exhibitions, represented Israel in exhibitions in Europe and participated in international exhibitions in New York, Johannesburg and Zurich. In 1958 he represented Israel in the Venice Biennale. In 1960, Shabat, together with Elchanan Halpern he represented the Israeli Painters Association at the International Congress of Plastic Arts held in Vienna, Austria . In the 40s and 50s he focused on landscape pictures. However, despite the focus on the Israeli landscape, the approach is universal in the framework of the post-Impressionist painting school. In the 1960s, his approach changed and he turned more to abstraction. The abstract direction gradually evolved. The point of departure of the abstract approach is the architectural landscape, but this view loses its real character and becomes only imaginary: the buildings lose their real character and turn into exclusive geometric areas that are usually set against a dark background. Over time, architecture captured the lion's share of his paintings. Cities like Safed, Jaffa and Jerusalem are the subject of many pictures.
He taught painting and art at the schools of the kibbutzim in Ramat Yochanan and Kfar Yehoshua, in high schools in Haifa and in the IDF and Gordon seminars.
His paintings were purchased and are in the permanent collection of the Bezalel National Museum (now the Israel Museum), Haifa Museum of Art, Haifa Maritime Museum, Acre Municipal Museum.
Select Solo exhibitions
1936 - Nadler Gallery, Haifa.
1943 - The Tel Aviv Museum of Art.
1952 - Artists House, Haifa.
1953 - Bezalel House, Jerusalem.
1955 - Gallery in Geneva, Switzerland.
1955 - The Writers' Club, Haifa.
1959 - Artists House, Haifa.
1960 - Museum of Modern Art, Haifa.
1962 - Museum of Modern Art, Haifa.
1963 - Gallery 220, Tel Aviv.
1968 - The Municipal Museum of Beit Emanuel, Ramat Gan.
1979 - Memorial exhibition marking the first anniversary...
Category
1940s Post-Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Dance of the In laws Wedding Scene Judaica Shtetl Oil Painting WPA Jewish Artist
By Maurice Kish
Located in Surfside, FL
Genre: Modern
Subject: Jewish Wedding Mechutanim
Medium: Oil
Surface: Board, size includes artist decorated frame
Country: United States
The imagery of Maurice Kish (1895-1987), whe...
Category
Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Paintings
Materials
Oil
You May Also Like
Signed and Dated Oil Painting of a Judaic Lumberjack
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Amazing painting of Judaic farmer fetching water. This painting is signed and dated. This item has minor wear consistent with its age. Painting is signed S. Brunstein and dated 1974....
Category
20th Century American Folk Art Paintings
Materials
Canvas
$595 Sale Price
33% Off
20th Century oil painting of the Jewish Chassidic community by the synagogue
By Elek Gyori
Located in London, GB
Elek Gyori (Hungarian, 1905-1957) was an Eastern European painter, who was notable for his fine paintings of the everyday life in rural Hungary. This beautiful oil painting, portrayi...
Category
Mid-20th Century Impressionist Figurative Paintings
Materials
Canvas, Oil
Rabbi, 1970s Oil Painting by Donald Roy Purdy
By Donald Roy Purdy
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Donald Roy Purdy, American (1924 - )
Title: Rabbi with Torah
Year: circa 1970
Medium: Oil on Masonite, signed l.r.
Size: 30 x 22.5 in. (76.2 x 57.15 cm)
Frame Size: 38 x 31 i...
Category
1970s Modern Figurative Paintings
Materials
Masonite, Oil
Judaica Hungarian Oil Painting of a Rabbi By Miklos Mihalovits
Located in Long Island City, NY
Miklos Mihalovits, Hungarian, 1888 to 1960, an oil painting on canvas, Portrait of an old Rabbi. Signed lower left. Framed. Miklos Mihalovits is known for Figure, genre paintings. Miklos Mihalovits was a Hungarian painter born in 1888. Miklos pursued his studies at the High School of Applied Arts and the Benczur Master School, in Budapest. He also took in study tours in Italy and Germany. Miklos Mihalovits art is characterized by bright colours and temperamental shaping, which can be seen in his paintings of study heads for biblical compositions and nude figures. His work was exhibited from 1912 on. Miklos also participated in collective exhibitions in Budapest from 1929 through 1930. He was one of the founders of the National Saloon. European Fine Art...
Category
Antique 19th Century Unknown Paintings
Materials
Paint
$2,000 Sale Price
50% Off
Rabbi with Torah, 1970s Oil Painting by Donald Roy Purdy
By Donald Roy Purdy
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Donald Roy Purdy, American (1924 - )
Title: Rabbi with Torah
Year: circa 1970
Medium: Oil on Masonite, signed l.r.
Size: 36 x 24 in. (91.44 x 60.96 cm)
Frame Size: 45 x 31 in...
Category
1970s Modern Figurative Paintings
Materials
Masonite, Oil
Oil on Canvas 1969 Depicting Jewish Priest with Signature in the Back
Located in Palermo, Sicily
Oil on canvas 1969 depicting Jewish Priest, with signature in the back.
Category
Vintage 1960s Israeli Mid-Century Modern Paintings
Materials
Paint
$3,067 Sale Price
20% Off
More Ways To Browse
For Rent
Jewish Russian Painting
Judaica Artist
Jewish Mid Century Art
Russian Realist Painting
Modern Judaica Painting
Vintage Spin Art
Vintage Manhattan Glass
Hart Oil Paintings
Catskills Painting
Wpa Styled Oil Paintings
Jewish Rabbi Painting
Vintage Machine Oiler
Girl Horse Painting
Oil Paintings Of Jewish Man
Judaica Oil Painting
Dark Floral Oil Painting
Painting Girl With Bird