Haim Mendelson
American, born Poland, born 1923The Artist and His Dead, 1978
Not on view
Etching, aquatint and pastel on paper
Dimensions22 1/4 × 27 5/8 in. (56.5 × 70.2 cm)
Image: 16 1/2 × 21 3/4 in. (41.9 × 55.2 cm)
Gift of Mr. Jack B. Pierson, 1987.11.2
Haim Mendelson once stated, "The idea for The Artist and His Dead came from a conversation with my younger son. He told me of the death of a small child in his school. The poignancy of this death affected me deeply. Brooding about death led me to thoughts about the deaths of people significant in my personal life. This resulted in the concept for The Artist and His Dead. In this composition, I am sitting in the studio. Ranged behind me are the figures of my dead. Leaning on the table is Rosa Rush, my first art teacher in the Works Progress Administration children's art class at Recreation Rooms Settlement House where I attended when I was 12 years of age. Behind the etching press are the figures of my father and mother. Seated behind the portfolio is my friend Sid Hammer the artist. My teacher Saul Baizerman the sculptor stands with his wife Eugenie Baizerman the painter. Behind the easel is Max Stratyner, a friend whose untimely death occurred during the period when this art work was being developed. In the foreground is the dog "Teddy" of my family life as a child."
A New York etcher and engraver, Haim Mendelson was mainly self-taught. He began exhibiting in Manhattan galleries around 1950 and during the following years his dry-point engravings and etchings appeared in Newark, Providence, Boston and Philadelphia.
