Please join the Rosh Hodesh group on February 18 at 4:00 p.m. for an engaging talk by renowned art historian Professor Larry Silver, offered both in person in the Bailis Room and via Zoom.

In this lecture, Professor Silver will examine three major Jewish artists of the twentieth century—Marc Chagall, Ben Shahn, and Mark Rothko—who shared similar origins in the Pale of Settlement but developed strikingly different artistic paths. Through close analysis of their work, he will explore how each artist understood, expressed, and negotiated his Jewish identity within the broader context of modern art.

The program will also address the larger question of what defines Jewish art. Rather than limiting the discussion to religious imagery or overt cultural symbols, Professor Silver will consider Jewish art as creative work shaped by heritage, experience, and identity, even when those influences are subtle or abstract. This broader perspective highlights the complexity and diversity of Jewish artistic expression in the modern era.

Professor Larry Silver is the Farquhar Professor of Art History, emeritus, at the University of Pennsylvania. He is widely recognized for his scholarship on sixteenth- and seventeenth-century European painting and print culture, with publications on artists such as Bosch, Bruegel, Dürer, and Rembrandt. He is also co-author, with Samantha Baskind, of Jewish Art: A Modern History (2011) and has written extensively for journals including Ars Judaica and Images. His recent lectures include presentations at the Jewish Museum in New York and the 92nd Street Y.