Todros Geller
American, born Russia (now Ukraine), 1889-1949
For the Sin which We have Committed, from Yiddish Motifs
INV-4548
Todros Geller
American, born Russia (now Ukraine), 1889-19491926
For the Sin which We have Committed, 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: 18.2 × 17.5 cm (7 3/16 × 6 15/16 in.); Wood veneer paper: 21.5 × 19.4 cm (8 1/2 × 7 11/16 in.); Paper: 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.
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