Todros Geller
American, born Russia (now Ukraine), 1889-1949
Holy Emissary, from Yiddish Motifs
INV-4540
Todros Geller
American, born Russia (now Ukraine), 1889-19491926
Holy Emissary, from Yiddish Motifs
Todros Geller American, born Russia (now Ukraine), 1889-1949 →woodcutbook
Date
1926
Medium
Woodcut on Japanese wood veneer paper mounted on paper
Dimensions
Image: 10.5 × 9 cm (4 3/16 × 3 9/16 in.); Wood veneer paper: 15.8 × 12 cm (6 1/4 × 4 3/4 in.); Sheet: 43 × 32.5 cm (16 15/16 × 12 13/16 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of the Artist
Geller’s Yiddish Motifs portfolio depicts scenes of Jewish identity and daily life in a series of seven woodcuts printed on Japanese wood veneer paper, an unusual paper choice, given that it was typically used for decorative purposes. Maxwell Street was a predominantly Jewish neighborhood on the city’s Near West Side, known for its large outdoor bazaar, sadly dismantled in the 1990s by development. These prints show a crowded marketplace, a vendor at work, a student in deep concentration, and a pair of street musicians. The Yiddish Motifs portfolio was a great success, with the entire edition selling out in just three weeks.
Also notable
Works in the same vein
