Žydų dailininkai tarpukario Lietuvos meninėje kultūroje

Santrauka

The object of analysis of the present article is the interest in Jewish art in interwar Lithuania and the influence of the views formed in that period on the assessments of the work and activity of Jewish artists, its later reception and becoming part of artistic heritage.
Jewish art and artists in interwar Lithuania are well known and highly acclaimed. Though the social integration of Jewish artists in interwar Lithuania was not easy due to society’s cautious attitude to people of non-Lithuanian nationalities, the artists themselves showed a huge interest in Jewish art, and it received positive acclaim, as can be seen from pieces of art criticism, contemporaries’ memoirs, and examples of Jewish art held in museum collections. On the other hand, it is conspicuous enough that Jewish artists did not succeed in acquiring high professional authority and securing themselves a more stable social position.
In constructing the narrative presented in the article, examples confirming the successful integration of Jewish artists in the cultural milieu of independent Lithuania have been used. For that purpose, two case studies have been chosen: a review of creative work and activity of the painter and set designer well known in and outside Lithuania Neemija Arbitblat (1908–99; Arbit Blat), and the still underrated graphic artist Khaim Meyer Fainshtein (1911–42?).
For the first time in the historiography of Lithuanian art, attention has been drawn to the ideological guidelines of the work of Jewish artists and a possible influence of the socialist ideology on their art. While referring to the works by graphic artists Fainshtein and Mark Ginzburg (1909–?) and contemporaries’ texts analyzing these works, the author of the article advances a hypothesis about the participation of Jewish artists in the activity of left-wing intellectuals. It is presumed that more consistent studies of the influence of the left-wing ideology on Jewish art would be helpful in assessing the heritage of the unique but so far little known painter Zale Beker (1896–1941?), which has so far been analyzed purely as an example of genre art having the sole aim of conveying the daily life of poor Jews, particularly the inhabitants of small towns or suburbs.
At the end of the article the author draws a conclusion that the art of Lithuanian Jews was not a homogeneous phenomenon, and the research into this art could be expanded not only by deeper insights into the hardly addressed Jewish social history, but also by a study of the relation of art and politics, covering the work of artists of various nationalities and going beyond the limits of a single art form. In other words, the research into the art of Lithuanian Jews obviously does not fit into the framework of the existing interpretations.