Russian-Jewish artists: between national identity and universalism

Abstract

The article is a translation of the work “Russian-Jewish artists: between national identity and universalism” (“Russisch-jüdische Künstler: zwischen nationaler Identität und Universalismus”). It was written by Mark Scheps, the German art critic and former head of Museum Ludwig in Cologne, and published in the collection named “The right of the image. Jewish Perspectives in Modern Art” (“Das Recht des Bildes: Jüdische Perspektiven in der modernen Kunst”). The article includes a research on Russian-Jewish identity in the 20th century’s art, touching upon an important period of formation of the Russian-Jewish identity in the Russian art of the period under review. As the researcher claims, the identity developed over two fairly short periods of time, first in the 1900-10s and then a little later in the 1960-70s. The author emphasizes the importance of how identity formation has influenced both Russian and European culture. Analyzing the time intervals, Mark Sheps tries to identify the main directions of development and movement of the art of painters of Jewish-Russian origin relying on their self-identity. He covers main points of fine art paying special attention to the works of artist M. Chagall as a bright representative of the era who “reveals national and artistic identity in a new way.” Referring to other artists he also shows how Russian art, although being open to Western influences, sought to return to its own origins and traditions. Speaking about Jewish self-consciousness, the author concludes that Jewish identity has lost its relevance in Russia, and its research must be conducted before it sinks into oblivion.