Ephraim Moses Lilien
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Maurycy "Ephraim Moses" Lilien (; ; 23 May 1874 – 18 July 1925) was a Polish-Jewish
Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...
illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicate ...
and
printmaker Printmaking is the process of creating artworks by printing, normally on paper, but also on fabric, wood, metal, and other surfaces. "Traditional printmaking" normally covers only the process of creating prints using a hand processed technique ...
particularly noted for his art on Jewish themes and his influence on the
Bezalel school The Bezalel academy was founded as an art movement in Israel in the late Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire and Mandatory Palestine, British Mandate periods. The name Bezalel was chosen from the bible, he was a master craftsman, specifically the chi ...
art movement. He is sometimes called the "first
Zionist Zionism is an Ethnic nationalism, ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in History of Europe#From revolution to imperialism (1789–1914), Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the ...
artist."Haim Finkelstein, Lilien and Zionism


Biography

Maurycy Lilien was born in 1874 in Drohobycz, Galicia, then in the
Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...
. In 1889–1893, Lilien learned painting and graphic techniques at the Academy of Arts in Kraków. He studied under Polish painter
Jan Matejko Jan Alojzy Matejko (; also known as Jan Mateyko; 24 June 1838 – 1 November 1893) was a Polish painter, a leading 19th-century exponent of history painting, known for depicting nodal events from Polish history. His works include large scale ...
from 1890 to 1892. As a member of the Early
Zionist Movement Zionism is an ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the Jewish people, pursued through the colonization of Palestine, a region roughly co ...
, Lilien traveled to Ottoman Palestine several times between 1906 and 1918,On Ephraim Moses Lilien
but did not settle. Lilien attended the Fifth
Zionist Congress The Zionist Congress was established in 1897 by Theodor Herzl as the supreme organ of the Zionist Organization (ZO) and its legislative authority. In 1960 the names were changed to World Zionist Congress ( ''HaKongres HaTsioni HaOlami'') and Wor ...
, held in
Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...
, as a member of the ''Democratic Fraction'' — a group formed in opposition to the
Religious Zionist Religious Zionism () is a religious denomination that views Zionism as a fundamental component of Orthodox Judaism. Its adherents are also referred to as ''Dati Leumi'' (), and in Israel, they are most commonly known by the plural form of the fi ...
, General Zionist, and Revisionist Zionist factions through its support for developing a secular national culture. In 1905, at the Seventh Zionist Congress, in Basel, he, along with Boris Schatz, became a member of a committee formed to help establish the Bezalel Art School. As part of that work he accompanied Schatz to
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
to gather inspiration.


Art career

Lilien was one of the two artists to accompany Boris Schatz to what is now
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
in 1906 for the purpose of establishing Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, and taught the school's first class in 1906. Although his stay in the country was short-lived, he left his indelible stamp on the creation of an Eretz Israel style, placing biblical subjects in the Zionist context and oriental settings, conceived in an idealized Western design. In the first two decades of the century, Lilien's work served as a model for the Bezalel group. Lilien is known for his famous photographic portrait of
Theodor Herzl Theodor Herzl (2 May 1860 – 3 July 1904) was an Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian Jewish journalist and lawyer who was the father of Types of Zionism, modern political Zionism. Herzl formed the World Zionist Organization, Zionist Organizat ...
. He often used Herzl as a model, considering his features a perfect representation of the "New Jew." In 1896, he received an award for photography from the avant-garde magazine '' Jugend''. Lilien illustrated several books. In 1923, an exhibition of his work opened in New York. Lilien's illustrated books include ''Juda'' (1900), Biblically themed poetry by Lilien's Christian friend, Börries Freiherr von Münchhausen, and ''Lieder des Ghetto'' (Songs of the Ghetto) (1903),
Yiddish Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...
poems by Morris Rosenfeld translated into German. Lilien died in Badenweiler,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
in 1925. A street in the Nayot neighborhood of Jerusalem is named for him.


Gallery

File:Lilien Sonnenblume.jpg, "Sunflower" (Sonnenblume), ''Jugend'', Berlin, 1893 File:Ex libris Stefan Zweig.jpg, Ex libris
Stefan Zweig Stefan Zweig ( ; ; 28 November 1881 – 22 February 1942) was an Austrian writer. At the height of his literary career, in the 1920s and 1930s, he was one of the most widely translated and popular writers in the world. Zweig was raised in V ...
File:Juda 13.jpg, "The Queen of Sabbath", from ''Juda'', Berlin, 1900-1 File:Juda 11.jpg, "The Silent Song" from ''Juda'', 1900–1. File:May our eyes behold your return in mercy to Zion.jpg, 'May our eyes behold your return in mercy to Zion'', Fifth Zionist Congress souvenir, Basel, 1901. File:Herzl_on_a_balcony_1901.jpg,
Theodor Herzl Theodor Herzl (2 May 1860 – 3 July 1904) was an Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian Jewish journalist and lawyer who was the father of Types of Zionism, modern political Zionism. Herzl formed the World Zionist Organization, Zionist Organizat ...
in Basel, 1901 File:Ost und west.jpg, ''Ost und West'', 1903 File:Kishinev Martyrs.jpg, Homage to the victims of the first Chișinău pogrom, 1903.Image published in ''Ost und West'', December 1904
848-850
File:Lieder des Ghetto 6.jpg, Jewish child from ''Lieder des Ghetto'', 1903 File:Lieder des Ghetto 11.jpg, " Zion", ''Lieder des Ghetto'', 1903 File:E. M. Lilien,.jpg, Ex libris Boris Schatz, 1905 File:BezalelLogo.svg, Emblem of the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem, 1906 File:Ephraim Moses Lilien - An Allegorical Wedding- Sketch for a carpet dedicated to Mr. and Mrs. David Wolffsohn Triptych (from... - Google Art Project.jpg, An Allegorical Wedding: Sketch for a carpet Triptych (from right to left): Exile, Marriage, Redemption, 1906 File:Lilian001.jpg, Theodor Herzl dressed as an Arab, 1906 File:Lilian002.jpg, ''
Joshua Joshua ( ), also known as Yehoshua ( ''Yəhōšuaʿ'', Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: ''Yŏhōšuaʿ,'' Literal translation, lit. 'Yahweh is salvation'), Jehoshua, or Josue, functioned as Moses' assistant in the books of Book of Exodus, Exodus and ...
'', 1908 File:Abraham Lilien.jpg, ''
Abraham Abraham (originally Abram) is the common Hebrews, Hebrew Patriarchs (Bible), patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father who began the Covenant (biblical), covenanta ...
'', 1908 File:Bileam and his she-ass.jpg, '' Balaam'', 908File:Dybbuk.jpg, '' Dybbuk'', 908File:Ephraim Moses Lilien Historical images of the Western Wall - 1920 C SR 019.JPG, ''Kotel'' (
Western Wall The Western Wall (; ; Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: ''HaKosel HaMa'arovi'') is an ancient retaining wall of the built-up hill known to Jews and Christians as the Temple Mount of Jerusalem. Its most famous section, known by the same name ...
), 1910 File:En_la_biblioteca_1915.jpg, ''In the Library'', engraving, 1915 File:Torah scribe.jpg, ''
Sofer A sofer, sopher, sofer SeTaM, or sofer ST"M (, "scribe"; plural , ) is a Jewish scribe who can transcribe Sifrei Kodesh (holy scrolls), tefillin (phylacteries), Mezuzah, mezuzot (ST"M, , is an abbreviation of these three terms) and other religio ...
of the
Torah The Torah ( , "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () ...
'', sewing its parchments, engraving, 1915 File:The Talmud students.jpg, ''Learning
Talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...
'', engraving, 1915 File:Lilian005.jpg, ''Figures'', photograph, ''c''. 1918 File:Lilien The Samaritan.jpg, ''The Samaritan'', engraving, ''c''. 1920


References


External links

* * * .
Illustrations in "Lieder des Ghetto"

Ephraim Moses Lilien Collection
at the
Leo Baeck Institute, New York The Leo Baeck Institute New York (LBI) is a research institute in New York City dedicated to the study of German-Jewish history and culture, founded in 1955. It is one of three independent research centers founded by a group of German-speaking J ...
. {{DEFAULTSORT:Lilien, Ephraim Moses 1874 births 1925 deaths Art Nouveau illustrators Jewish Israeli painters Jewish Austrian painters Jewish Polish painters 20th-century Polish painters 20th-century Austrian photographers 20th-century Austrian illustrators Polish photographers 20th-century Polish illustrators Zionist activists 20th-century Israeli illustrators Israeli photographers Academy of Fine Arts Vienna alumni Austrian emigrants to Israel People from Drohobych Jews from Austria-Hungary Jews from Galicia (Eastern Europe) Artists from the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria Photographers in Palestine (region) Zionists from Austria-Hungary