Career Saul Raskin

1 career

1.1 yiddish press

1.1.1 satirical cartoonist
1.1.2 critic


1.2 educational , cultural work
1.3 visual art
1.4 illustrated books

career
yiddish press

as russian speaker, raskin became fluent in yiddish after having come contact literary community of lower east side neighborhood of new york.

satirical cartoonist

he worked cartoonist , caricaturist number of new york based yiddish publications including kibitzer (yiddish person offers unsolicited views, advice, or criticism) , particularly der groyser kundes (the big stick or big prankster), new york based satirical weekly. regularly contributed cartoons yiddish newspapers in europe. raskin s cartoons portrayed differences between jewish life in eastern europe , in united states tales of metamorphoses . in cartoon der groyser kundes in 1909, raskin employed cantor, person ethnomusicologist mark slobin, professor of music @ wesleyan university regards serving representatives of group s strivings american jewish audiences in 20th-century america. raskin s yiddish caption said in old world, cantor named zelikovitsh; in america italian tenor named signor zelkonini .

critic

raskin prolific critic of visual arts, literature , theatre. wrote articles various new york based yiddish language publications including tsayt-gayst, libertarian socialist periodical freie arbeiter stimme (the free voice of labor), monthly socialist journal die zukunft or di tsukunft (the future) wrote forty 3 articles , chaim zhitlowsky s literary , philosophical dos naye lebn (the new life) published between 1908 , 1914. in 1907, wrote article weekly zeitgeist published between 1905 , 1908 forward, titled der proletariat un der kunst (the proletariat , art). raskin art , theater critic abraham reisen s yiddish language weekly dos naye land (the new country), illustrated weekly of literature, art, criticism , culture , launched in 1911. in 17 november 1911 edition, raskin wrote article titled exhibition of jewish artists, proclamation in proposed jewish artists exhibitions should held , suggested practical ways organize them. following week, dos naye land published letter editor writer opposing raskin s suggestion on grounds artists refuse exhibit , suggesting art appreciation in jewish community should cultivated first exhibiting reproductions of art in public places. raskin wrote future of jewish art in article dos naye land in 1911 in discussed inability find common jewish characteristic in works of artists such mark antokolski, jozef israëls, max liebermann, , camille pissarro. raskin suggested rather examining various techniques, forms, , styles used jewish artists, jewish art might emerge examining common subject matter , themes in contemporaries work, in genre , history paintings. raskin s articles advocating regarded humanitarian , demographic value of art rooted in folk themes amongst earliest articles on art in yiddish.

educational , cultural work

raskin worked bring jewish art attention of jewish public. believed art should not exclusive preserve of wealthy , collaborating artists, public s interest in art cultivated. conducted museum tours , lectured on art arbeter ring (workmen’s circle). in 1910, arbeter ring education committee (ec) formed oversee members educational , cultural development. in 1914 ec organized ten guided tours of new york art museums of conducted raskin. shpatsirungen (strolls) called draw many 4 5 hundred people. museums participated remaining open @ special times , providing rooms lectures @ no cost. raskin s guided tours included short historical overview of exhibits highlighting prominent artists , works. raskin carried out similar educational work outside of new york.

in 1930s raskin served art director 92nd street young men s , young women s hebrew association (92nd street y) in new york.

visual art

raskin known more painter , caricaturist within american jewish community critic. worked in various media , known realist approach , attention detail. work focused on scenes of jewish life , tradition particularly in lower east side of new york. first exhibition in 1922. raskin s paintings, sketches , lithographs portraying jewish life in yishuv in palestine known in u. s. having appeared in many exhibitions , press. praised art critics. lobby of theater @ corner of second avenue , eleventh street, @ northern end of yiddish broadway in yiddish theater district in lower east side decorated paintings of palestine. made number of trips palestine, @ least 4 between 1921 , 1937, 5 1947 , later israel. stayed @ kibbutz ramat yochanan while in british mandate palestine. in 1947 raskin published land of palestine contained more 300 drawings , paintings made during artist s 5 visits palestine, short essays on palestinian life. produced poster art support zionist movement. poster stand , counted 1930s shows central figure of tall , determined american jew holding shekel surrounded on 1 side images of destruction , on other images of brighter future in jewish homeland promised contributing zionist organization.

cover of hebrew rhapsody (1959)


illustrated books

raskin provided illustrations number of hebrew texts such pirkei avot: sayings of fathers (1940), haggadah passover (1941), tehilim. book of psalms (1942), siddur (1945), 5 megiloth: song of songs, ruth, lamentations, ecclesiastes, esther (1949), kabbalah in word , image (1952), , other books such aron hakodesh: jewish life , lore (1955) , between god , man: hebrew rhapsody in 100 drawings (1959). aron hakodesh (the holy ark) illustrates life of boy named moishele bar mitzvah marriage, teaching own children , in old age, grandchildren reflecting idea of passing down traditional jewish wisdom. last pages israel , promised land. book includes games, jokes, , folklore 150 illustrations yiddish , english descriptions. hebrew rhapsody contained sections on moses prophet supreme , samson tragic hero , job man , golem , wedding in town , hasidim serve god joy set of drawings on land of israel mark tenth anniversary of state of israel final pages describing experience artist. raskin described book rhapsody in medium of graphic art , ode people, wonderful old , young again people. in 1960 raskin published book new face of israel. in 1962, when raskin in eighties, published personal surrealism, illustrated book included thoughts on surrealism, dreams , life in mixture of hebrew , english.