APRIL 1 - JUNE 30, 2008
Arthur Szyk was the virtuoso caricaturist of World War II" ~ New York Times December 1, 2002
Adolf Hitler put a price tag on Arthur Szyk's head. The American press called him a "citizen-soldier of the free world." The Times of London declared his artwork "to be among the the most beautiful...ever produced by the hand of man." Arthur Szyk (1894-1951) brilliantly wielded paintbrush and palette in the great battles for freedom in his lifetime.
Szyk has been called the greatest 20th century master illuminator in the tradition of the 16th century miniaturist painters. He was an artist for the people, and Americans embraced him. A Polish Jew who escaped from Europe in the wake of the Holocaust, he emigrated to the U.S. in December 1940. Here he found, as he stated, "the home I have always searched for. Here I can speak of what my soul feels."
The purpose of this exhibit is to introduce viewers to the life and art of Arthur Szyk within the cultural and political movements of the first half of the 20th century. Of the many themes that characterize Szyk's prolific creations, Justice Illuminated: The Art of Arthur Szyk focuses on three themes: World War II, America, and Jewish response. As an artist, Szyk once proclaimed, "Art is not my aim, it is my means." The works in this exhibition further demonstrate how and why Szyk's mission and message relate not only to the challenges of the past, but also to the complexities of the present. Justice Illuminated is meant to be a catalyst to enable the viewer to think, reflect, and respond passionately to the world in which we dwell today.
The description above was provided by The Arthur Szyk Society.
For more information about the Arthur Szyk Society, visit www.szyk.org
For a more detailed description of the Justice Illuminated exhibit, visit www.szyk.org/szykonline
