Menachem Shemi (1897-1951), Still Life, 1932.
Oil on canvas. Signed and dated.
Menachem Shemi, born in Bobruisk, Belarus, an outstanding artist of the Yishuv era and a founding father of early local modernism. Studied in the Odessa Art Academy and in 1913 immigrated to Palestine to study in Bezalel. Although he was yet unfamiliar with European modernism, he rebelled against the conservative approach Bezalel was known for. In World War I he was conscripted into the Ottoman army, deserted and even made it to the Jewish Legion. In 1928 he was finally able to visit Paris, where the art he studied influenced his work greatly. In 1937 he travelled to Paris again, this time to hold a solo exhibition. Shemi won the Dizengoff prize for painting twice, in 1938 and again in 1942. In 1942 he volunteered to the British army, serving with the 745 Artisan Works Coy., R.E. which was stationed in North Africa, then in Italy. Upon his return to Palestine, Shemi published a sketch album under the title "A Soldier Returns to Palestine" (Hebrew), and an exhibition of his war-time works was held in the Tel Aviv Museum. In 1947 he moved to Safed; shortly before his death, he exhibited in the 1950 Venice Biennale.
"... his whole rather short life was dedicated to facing, bravely and steadily, the challenge of creating a personal artistic style. He strived to achieve the highest European standards while expressing the essence of the Levant at its best, encompassing its views, atmosphere and colors, refining it in his inner furnace – the Artist's soul…". (HaAretz, Menachem Shemi – A Man and an Artist, exhibition statement. Tel Aviv Museum of Art, 2009. Curator: Dalia Belkin)
62.5X47 cm. Good condition. Restored.