It is hard to reconcile Gershon Iskowitz's (1921-1988) aesthetic with his personal history. He survived the darkest side of humanity and built a life dedicated to creating beautiful art.
Born to a religious family in Poland, Iskowitz was allowed to leave Yeshiva (Jewish religious studies) in order to study art independently. The outbreak of war forced him to return to his hometown where he was conscripted to forced labor, then transferred to Buchenwald in 1944, one of the first and most notorious Nazi concentration camps. Upon liberation, Iskowitz spent nearly 9 months recuperating in the hospital. He then studied at the Academy of Fine Art in Munich before immigrating to Canada.
"Midnight" is an important painting that demonstrates Iskowitz's transition from figurative painting to abstraction.
Around 1950, Iskowitz arrived in Toronto. He was initially disappointed by Toronto's modest art scene and did not respond to the Group of Seven. However, he gradually became interested in the Canadian landscape, sketching in Uxbridge, Muskoka, and beyond.
In 1954, Iskowitz began spending time in McKellar, which was north of Parry Sound in central Ontario. Artists and amateurs would frequent the town's lodge to enjoy the landscape and the two nearby lakes. This setting proved to be an important escape from the city and a place of productivity and inspiration, even during the winter months. Between 1954 and 1957, Iskowitz spent significant time around Parry Sound. This is a significant period as Iskowitz slowly builds a body of work and local reputation in advance of his first solo exhibit in Toronto in 1960.
"Midnight" is one of the most accomplished and exhibited paintings from this seminal early period. It was included in Iskowitz's travelling retrospective "Painter of Light," which started at the Art Gallery of Ontario in 1982 and went to the Gallery of Windsor, Museum London, Glenbow Museum (Calgary) and finally to Canada House (London, UK).
This painting is also fully illustrated in Adele Feedman's essential "Gershon Iskowitz: Painter of Light" book on pg. 41.
Note: You might notice the odd spelling of the artist's signature here: Ickowicz. As Jews immigrated to English-speaking countries from Eastern Europe, many were either forced or chose to anglicize their difficult or "ethnic" last names. For nearly a decade, Iskowitz did not alter his family name, but in the late 1950's he adjusted the English spelling from Ickowits to Iskowitz in order to be phonetically accurate to the Polish pronunciaton. Let us know if you would like more information about Iskowitz's family background and origins. A special thank-you to legendary Iskowitz scholar Ihor Holubizky for sharing this information and assessing the painting.
Questions about this piece? Contact us, call +1.416.704.1720, or visit our Toronto gallery.
“Midnight"
Canada, 1955
Signed and dated on lower right face
Titled on verso
Partial labels verso (Gallery Moos & London Regional Art Gallery)
Oil on board
22.5"H 25"W (panel)
29"H 32.5"W (framed)
Very good condition
Note: the price is $21,500 CAD
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