MEN OF OLD
by Alfred Wolmark (1877-1961)
Oil on canvas
Purchased 1930
(399K)
Alfred Wolmark was born in Warsaw, but arrived in this country aged six. He came from an orthodox family, but despite the fact that many observant Jews, including Lily Delissa Joseph, viewed paintings as 'graven images' forbidden in the second commandment, his parents raised no objections to his becoming an artist. Many of his early works are of Jewish subjects, and he spent the years 1903-1906 back in Poland painting the Jewish communities there. In these works he, like Lily Delissa Joseph, was greatly influenced by the work of Rembrandt and painted using dark colours and a limited palette. From 1910, he began to use much brighter paints than previously, which led to him being known as 'The Colour King'.
In this painting, we see two Jewish men. They are probably in synagogue, because they are wearing prayer shawls or tallitot (tallit in the singular). This is a four-cornered cloth, usually made of wool which has fringes or Tzitsit in the corners. These have been knotted according to biblical rules, and are worn in synagogue on Shabbat and for Jewish festivals. They are usually white with black or blue stripes, though you can find examples of other colours being used.
If you see this painting reproduced in black and white, you could be forgiven for thinking it was a rather standard painting of two elderly Jews. However, to view it in colour, one can easily understand why Wolmark became known as 'The Colour King'. The background is painted in bright green and violet, and one of the men is wearing a red prayer cap. Their faces are painted in bright pinks and blues, and their long grey beards also have flecks of blue. The tallitot, instead of being in typical black and white colouring, are instead painted in varying shades of violet. It is no surprise to learn that one of Wolmark's favourite painters was Vincent Van Gogh who is famous for the bright colours that he used. Wolmark also used a similar thick brush stroke to Van Gogh's in these paintings. In fact, at one exhibition in the 1910s, Wolmark's work was hung next to a painting by Van Gogh.
Wolmark's brightly coloured paintings date from a comparatively short timespan, and from the 1920s onwards, he reverted to painting in more muted tones and in a more realist style. He was very involved with the Ben Uri Art Society, serving as Vice President in the 1920s.
The largest painting in the Ben Uri collection also shows a Shabbat scene.
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