A passionate journey of one man’s love of Jewish art as the steward of Arthur Szyk’s legacy.
A soldier in art.
Arthur Szyk (1894-1951) was a Polish-born artist who made his name lavishly illustrating Jewish books while also producing powerful anti-Nazi art for the Allied cause. Szyk’s work synthesized the traditions of manuscript illumination, modernist abstraction, and political caricature to realize an unmistakably unique vision. Since his death, his work has largely fallen from attention. Ungar’s mission—the author is an antiquarian bookseller and former pulpit rabbi—is to restore Szyk’s reputation, to circulate his artwork for the general public, and to make the case for his place in the canons of great figural painting. Ungar writes, “Believing as I do in the importance of Szyk’s messages and the genius of his art, I know he deserves to belong among the well-known and popularly recognized artists and among the pantheon of great artists.” The author chronicles his first encounters with Szyk’s work, his inquiries into the circulation of his public art, and his building of the artist’s reputation through lecturing, publishing, and curation. Lavishly illustrated with full-color reproductions of the work—ranging from a Passover Haggadah through portraits of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, political cartoons, and allegories of American freedom—the book shows us the man who sought to be a “soldier in art” in the fight against fascism. A self-portrait by Szyk shows the artist “sitting at his desk, pinning Hitler to the table with his pen while the Führer is trying to pull away.” A brilliant draughtsman with an eye for face and form, Szyk emerges like a Jewish Norman Rockwell. This is a book of passion whose real theme is the place of art in social and political resistance and, moreover, the place of the artist in the author’s own story of finding his purpose in a life of Jewish learning.
A passionate journey of one man’s love of Jewish art as the steward of Arthur Szyk’s legacy.Pub Date: May 5, 2026
ISBN: 9781477333020
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Univ. of Texas
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2026
A virtuoso performance and an ode to an undervalued medium created by two talented artists.
The veteran actor, comedian, and banjo player teams up with the acclaimed illustrator to create a unique book of cartoons that communicates their personalities.
Martin, also a prolific author, has always been intrigued by the cartoons strewn throughout the pages of the New Yorker. So when he was presented with the opportunity to work with Bliss, who has been a staff cartoonist at the magazine since 1997, he seized the moment. “The idea of a one-panel image with or without a caption mystified me,” he writes. “I felt like, yeah, sometimes I’m funny, but there are these other weird freaks who are actually funny.” Once the duo agreed to work together, they established their creative process, which consisted of working forward and backward: “Forwards was me conceiving of several cartoon images and captions, and Harry would select his favorites; backwards was Harry sending me sketched or fully drawn cartoons for dialogue or banners.” Sometimes, he writes, “the perfect joke occurs two seconds before deadline.” There are several cartoons depicting this method, including a humorous multipanel piece highlighting their first meeting called “They Meet,” in which Martin thinks to himself, “He’ll never be able to translate my delicate and finely honed droll notions.” In the next panel, Bliss thinks, “I’m sure he won’t understand that the comic art form is way more subtle than his blunt-force humor.” The team collaborated for a year and created 150 cartoons featuring an array of topics, “from dogs and cats to outer space and art museums.” A witty creation of a bovine family sitting down to a gourmet meal and one of Dumbo getting his comeuppance highlight the duo’s comedic talent. What also makes this project successful is the team’s keen understanding of human behavior as viewed through their unconventional comedic minds.
A virtuoso performance and an ode to an undervalued medium created by two talented artists.Pub Date: Nov. 17, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-26289-9
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Celadon Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2020
PERSPECTIVES
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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