Raphael Soyer and the Search for Modern Jewish Art

What captivated me moreso than just the history of this artist was the style in which the author arranged and wrote this wonderful book. The points and details were laid out in a way that made the read enjoyable, almost like a novel, (It was upsetting whenever I had to put the book down), and I never felt talked down to even though the subject matter was new to me. I totally devoured this book and would recommend it to anyone with an interest in art, art history, immigration, diaspora or jewish studies, not to mention biographies. I would also recommend it to someone just searching for a good read! I look forward to other such works by Dr. Baskind.

This book was recommended to me by a professor who felt that the text would clarify my questions about what Jewish art is. The book did that and more. The book carefully goes through the many possiblities of what Jewish art is, how it has been understood in the past, and what the author thinks. Before this book I felt that Jewish art could really only be defined as religious, but now I understand much more about the ethnic dimensions of Judaism. According to the author, the "cultural" aspects of Jewish art are just as worthy as the religious ones. She expains all this with examples and by testing her ideas on the art of Raphael Soyer. R. Soyer's art is really great, as is this book. I recommend it to anyone interested in American art, Jewish art, or Soyer.

I found this book fascinating, and I'm just as fascinated by the reactions to it, especially the angry diatribe.The value of this book is that Soyer has been known as a Jewish artist, but no one has talked about him as such in real depth. I recommend this book for its:1. Attention to biography. The author quotes and analyzes Soyer's 4 autobiographies, his personal papers, and oral interviews. She's probed these sources and found interesting material there.2. Multidimensional use of history. One reviewer states that the author doesn't tell us anything about the historical context of Soyer's art. I disagree. She tells us much, it's just that it's not the same old American stuff wrapped around him. She provides an alternate historical perspective: the Jewish one alongside the national and artistic ones. I especially like her use of literary works, such as Elias Tobenkin and Abraham Cahan, to help explain the mindset of the time. 3. Attention to visual details. Her interpretations of the art, especially Soyer's illustrations discussed in the last chapter, is impressive.The author uses the evidence the artist has left behind, both verbal and visual, to construct an interesting portrait of Soyer. I think those uncomfortable with that portrait are those who have been, for whatever reason, perpetuating a static view of Soyer (gender, race and religion matter!), or have ignored him altogether. This new look at Soyer is just what's needed - and not just for art history, but religious studies, gender studies, and all those interested in difference.

Samantha Baskind's Raphael Soyer and the Search for Modern Jewish Art describes the life and work of Raphael Soyer, a Russian immigrant who arrived in America in 1912 at the age of thirteen. The oldest of six children, Soyer, his twin brother Moses, and their younger brother Isaac became artists. All three of these talented siblings sit on the periphery of American art, and in this well-researched book Baskind shows why Soyer deserves more attention than he has previously received. Along with describing how Soyer's art was influenced by his Jewish identity, Baskind also critically examines "the assumptions and methodologies scholars employ when discussing Jewish art" (4). Her lucid prose, even when dealing with challenging thinkers (Freud, Simmel, and Jonathan and Daniel Boyarin, among others), makes Soyer and his Jewishness accessible. Baskind begins her book by stating that Soyer "did not want to be known as a Jewish artist" (1), and then proceeds in the following five chapters to look closely at a single work or a group of related works by Soyer. She explains how Soyer was never a parochial painter - she does not connect his work to the religious elements of Judaism - but that the religiocultural dimensions of Judaism influenced his art. The first chapter, for example, examines a self-portrait from 1927. She tenaciously digs at the meanings in this portrait, and her attention to details, both visual and socio-political, is impressive as she shows how Soyer negotiated the challenges of being Jewish in the first decades of the twentieth century. Baskind's discussion of past analyses of Soyer's well-known painting Dancing Lesson illustrates her accomplishment. This painting has been previously understood as Jewish, but, as Baskind explains, a close look at the work's iconography has never been performed. Baskind does this with panache and insight. Baskind carefully examines the painting, pulling out the "Jewish signs" (64) in Dancing Lesson, finally providing a paradigm for why this painting has fascinated so many as an example of Jewish art. This book may be the impetus for others to take Soyer more seriously as an artist. Importantly, Baskind never attempts to claim Soyer. She only offers possible meanings - she mindfully phrases her interpretations with words like "seems," "may," and "perhaps," and states in her conclusion that "If this discussion of Soyer's professional self-definition opens up new perspectives on Soyer's art and incites scholars to reevaluate Soyer, then I have done my job" (196). She wants others to write and comment on Soyer; she does not pretend to be all-knowing and understands the limits of scholarship. Baskind also acknowledges that "Soyer cannot be understood adequately as [solely] a Jewish artist or an American artist" (196), thus opening up a hopefully new field of Soyer studies to interpretations from various perspectives.The book culminates with Baskind's discussion of Soyer's book illustrations for Isaac Bashevis