ABOUT THE EXHIBIT
The I. Edward Kiev Judaica Collection is proud to present original artwork from the Jewish artistic Renaissance. Featured artists Hermann Struck and E.M. Lilien represent the wide spectrum of Jewish life and art in the post-emancipation era. The flood of creative Jewish expression began as Jews gained acceptance in modern, secular society and no longer strictly interpreted the second commandment prohibition against graven images.
While Jewish artists found their way into the forefront of artistic expression in conventional European society, the nascent Zionist movement provided an inspiration and forum for their creative voices. Struck and Lilien contributed works to an art exhibition held at the Fifth Zionist Congress in 1901, which helped establish Jewish visual art as a legitimate component of the Jewish cultural resurgence.
Jewish art was enhanced by the proliferation of printed media, especially in the form of book art and postcards during the 19th and 20th centuries. Positive depictions of Jews as a people in charge of their own destiny began to appear while innovative formats and revived traditions, such as lithography and etching, added to this development.
The talents and vision of Hermann Struck and E. M. Lilien embody these new advances and inspired an entire generation of Jewish graphic artists in Central and Eastern Europe.
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