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Artist: Ben Shahn Artist Dates: 1898-1969 Signed Within Plate: Yes Date of Work: 1942 Description: Shahn depicts an execution-like scene. A man with a cloth sack covering his head is chained at the wrists to a brick wall. In bright red lettering This is Nazi Brutality is quoted. Underneath is text about the Czech mining village of Lidice. Lidice was destroyed by the Nazis in retaliation for the 1942 shooting of a Nazi official by two Czechs. All men of the village were killed in a 10-hour massacre; the women and children were sent to concentration camps. The destruction of Lidice became a symbol for the brutality of Nazi occupation during World War IIBen Shahn led the Office of War Information (OWI), and the artists in his stable included Bernard Perlin and Henry Koerner. He was also known as a â€aesocial realist,” who said, â€aeI found that I must paint those things that were meaningful to meâ€"that I could honestly paint in the shapes and colors I felt belonged to them. What shall I paint? Stories.” Shahn’s pro-labor sentiments profoundly influenced his works and he spent the last years of his life painting in his adopted home state of New Jersey in a New Deal created utopian cooperative town aptly named Roosevelt, New Jersey. He, along with fellow artists David Stone Martin and Jacob Landeau created what became a vibrant arts community over the years, attracting writers, playwrights, artists and musicians. Today, Roosevelt still stands as a testament to these artists and their vision and a sense of community spirit and artistic expression still permeates this small bucolic enclave. Ben Shahn painted a mural in the hallway at the Roosevelt School in 1937, still one of the largest frescos in the United States. The mural chronicles the history of immigration, labor reforms and the New Deal. A number of historic figures are depicted, including Albert Einstein. This collection is from Dr. David Orzeck by descent to his daughter Lida Orzeck and the entire collection is offered without reserve. Lida Orzeck came across more than 750 vintage war posters from World War I and World War II in her family’s home basement that her father, David Orzeck, a Brooklyn doctor, had meticulously collected. Discovered in 1970, the posters â€" of which few pristine prints remain with the exception of the National Archives and the Library of Congress â€" were in mint condition, neatly catalogued and folded in brown wrapping paper from grocery stores. Size: 28"L x 38"H Weight: < 1 ounce Provenance: Dr. David Orzeck Condition: Poster has original fold marks and has not been exposed to sunlight, thus preserving the vibrant colors. Recently backed with archival paper (reversible). Artist Biography: Shahn was born in Kovno (Kaunas), Lithuania, then occupied by the Russian Empire, to Jewish parents Joshua Hessel and Gittel (Lieberman) Shahn. His father was exiled to Siberia for possible revolutionary activities in 1902, at which point Shahn, his mother, and two younger siblings moved to Vilkomir (Ukmerge). In 1906, the family immigrated to the United States where they rejoined Hessel, who had fled Siberia. They settled in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York where two more siblings were born. His younger brother drowned at age 17. Shahn began his path to becoming an artist in New York, where he was first trained as a lithographer. Shahn's early experiences with lithography and graphic design is apparent in his later prints and paintings which often include the combination of text and image. Shahn's primary medium was egg tempera, popular among social realists.Although Shahn attended New York University as a biology student in 1919, he went on to pursue art at City College in 1921 and then at the National Academy of Design. After his marriage to Tillie Goldstein in 1924, the two traveled through North Africa and then to Europe, where he made "the traditional artist pilgrimage." There he studied great European artists such as Henri Matisse, Raoul Dufy, Georges Rouault, Pablo Picasso and Paul Klee. Contemporaries who would make a profound impact on Shahn’s work and career include artists Walker Evans, Diego Rivera and Jean Charlot.[2]Shahn was dissatisfied with the work inspired by his travels, claiming that the pieces were unoriginal. Shahn eventually outgrew his pursuit of European modern art; he, instead, redirected his efforts toward a realist style which he used to contribute to social dialogue. The 23 gouache paintings of the trials of Sacco and Vanzetti communicated the political concerns of his time, rejecting academic prescriptions for subject matter. The Passion of Sacco and Vanzetti was exhibited in 1932 and received acclaim from both the public and critics. This series gave Shahn the confidence to cultivate his personal style, regardless of society’s art standards. Meta: Poster, WWI, WWII, Military, Militaria, Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Propaganda.