Zber
| Zber | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Fiszel Zylberberg 23 June 1909 Plock, Poland |
| Died | 26 October 1942 (aged 33) Auschwitz Concentration Camp |
| Education | Warsaw Academy of Arts, Wladyslaw Skoczylas |
| Known for | Xylography, painting, drawing, sculpting, graphic arts |
| Spouse(s) | Stenia Bonder |
Fiszel Zylberberg, most commonly known as Zber (23 June 1909 – 26 October 1942) was a Jewish artist, best known for his work in xylography (woodcut engraving). Zber was said to be a young artist who was a genius of the graphic arts, so much so that his style was known to have a "lyricism drawn from life itself." His masterpieces are now represented in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, the Tel-Aviv Museum, the Museum of Modern art in Haifa, the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, and in many other reputable art museums.
Hailed as a ‘poet of his generation’, Zber's artwork encapsulated all that was around him. Whether it was the intimate nature around him, or the diligent workers doing their trade, his artwork was known to be authentic and true to reality, to the point where it is said to be palpable.
Zber's career was quickly accelerating and he was becoming increasingly renowned as a young protégée, with his reputation spreading far and wide, when the Nazis's invaded France in 1940. Sadly, Zber was captured while working in Paris and was sent to the Auschwitz extermination camp, where he was murdered in the prime of his career. Although his career was short-lived, Zber’s artwork left an indelible mark that speaks to the life and conditions of early 20th century Europe, with great historical relevance.
Although most of his creations were destroyed by the Nazis, 39 of his woodcuts (plates) were found after the liberation of Paris, and are now housed in the Safed Museum of the Printing Art in Israel. An album of Zber's surviving woodcuts was published in 1971. In 2007, the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire du Judaïsme in Paris exhibited a collection of Zber's oil paintings that he completed while in the French internment camp Beaune-la-Rolande.
Zber was born in Płock, a small town in Poland, on June 23, 1909. He grew up in a traditional Jewish home with three siblings - two brothers and a sister - and his two parents. Zber’s mother, Hina, was a homemaker who focused on raising her children. They owned a small local grocery store, which was the source of their income. Wolf, Zber's father, was known to be a man of integrity and he was elected parnas (religious and civic leader) for the community of Płock.
Zber’s childhood was spent at the village Jewish elementary school and at Heder (school). During his time at Heder, Zber learned religious studies and he became more attuned to his Jewish identity. His creative talents surfaced as a young boy while he was in elementary school, where he enjoyed drawing in pencil and crayon. In school, Zber’s first sculptural exhibit was a Greek head that he sculpted from a picture. Zber’s teacher was the first to discover his artistic brilliance and the school principal, who was an artist herself, encouraged him to hone his natural talent and make an effort to continue in the artistic field. At school painting competitions, Zber was rewarded with the first prize, and his displays received much praise.
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Wikipedia