Issachar Ber Ryback

France, b. Ukraine, 1897–1935
Rabbi
About 1930
Oil on canvas
Gift of Jack and Marilyn (z”l) Belz and family, 9216

Born in Elisavetgrad (Kropyvnytskyi) in central Ukraine, Issachar Ber Ryback studied at the Kiev Art Institute between 1911–1916. While in Kiev, Ryback became active in a Yiddish-speaking Jewish arts and cultural organization, known as Kultur-lige.

Like many Eastern European-born Jewish painters of his generation, Ryback moved to Paris in 1926. While in Paris, Ryback transitioned away from the Cubist aesthetic he had cultivated in Kiev, gravitating toward the expressionist style seen in this painting. He also began to experiment with expressionist sculptural techniques, the fruits of which can be seen in the nearby case.

Ryback was deeply traumatized by the pogroms that swept Ukraine during the Russian Revolution (1917–23) and resulted in the death of his father. Throughout his career, he would return to Jewish subjects and places which evoked his memories of traditional Jewish life and the pain of his loss. In this painting, Ryback captures the weary emotional state of a tallit-clad Rabbi moving his lips in prayer.