Josef Herman 1911-2000
Figure Studies
pen and ink and wash on paper
22.2 x 17.1 cm
framed: 36.4 x 30.3 x 1.7 cm
framed: 36.4 x 30.3 x 1.7 cm
1991-2
© Josef Herman estate
Photo: Ben Uri Collection
Josef Herman discovered enduring inspiration in the Welsh mining village of Ystradgynlais in the summer of 1944. He admired the simple dignity of the close-knit, hardworking, mining community, which provided...
Josef Herman discovered enduring inspiration in the Welsh mining village of Ystradgynlais in the summer of 1944. He admired the simple dignity of the close-knit, hardworking, mining community, which provided him with inspiration for the next eleven years. The figures are represented by blocky shapes with only their outlines inked in, affording them a monumentality; their absence of featues suggests a universality and kinship. They are distinguished only by their attitudes and attributes, such as the women's headscarves and the men's caps. The women sit close together and facing front, united in active discussion, while the men are spaced further apart and have their backs turned to the viewer, companianable but separate. Together they suggest contrasting ideas of closeness and isolation, activity and repose.
Provenance
presented by Rose and Bernard Gillinson 1991Exhibitions
2006 Recent Acquisitions 2001-2006, Ben Uri Gallery - The London Jewish Museum of Art
2009 Homeless & Hidden 2: World Class Collection Homeless & Hidden, Ben Uri Gallery
2023 Josef Herman: Artistiaid Ffoadur Cymru - Refugee Artists, Hay Castle
2024 US: From There to Here - Britain's Gain, Ben Uri Gallery and Museum
Literature
David Glasser, intro., Recent Acquisitions 2001-2006 (London: Ben Uri Gallery, 2006), p.30 (illus. included);Walter Schwab and Julia Weiner, eds., Jewish Artists: the Ben Uri Collection - Paintings, Drawings, Prints and Sculpture (London: Ben Uri Art Society in association with Lund Humphries Publishers Ltd, 1994), p. 127.
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