Podróżnicy, emigranci i tułacze. Artyści żydowscy w Białymstoku

Abstract

Bialystok, a city that has changed its face many times – from the idyllic residence of a powerful magnate in the 18th century to a bustling industrial center in the next century – has been occupied by foreign armies many times. History meant that in the 20th century, artists born here often traveled to the West in search of learning opportunities and interest from audiences. In an industrial city like Bialystok, they could not count on this. Although there was a group of artists here, mainly painters, they had to take jobs as teachers or editors of the local press to make a living. After the outbreak of World War II and the occupation of the region by Soviet troops, a significant group of artists from various regions of Poland arrived here. The occupiers created cultural centers, organized a union of artists and employed them for propaganda work. After the outbreak of the Soviet-German war, the situation of artists changed dramatically. A painting studio was established in the ghetto where they were confined, and Jewish painters were forced to create copies of paintings by famous European painters. It is not known what happened to these paintings; nothing has survived in Bialystok. The content of the article is a consideration of the creative activity and identity of Jewish painters who left Bialystok for France and the United States and those who remained in their hometown.