City motif
| Author: | Raphael Chwoles (1913–2002) |
Rafael Chwoles (b. 1913 Vilnius – d. 2002 Paris) having received a religious education in a Vilnius yeshiva, studied art at the Jewish Schol of Crafts and in private studios. In 1929, he became the youngest member of the Jung Vilne (Young Vilnius) group of writers and artists. He made his debut in an exhibition in Vilnius in 1933, and won first prize for the best portrait. Chwoles spent the Second World War in Russia. In 1944, having returned to Vilnius, he discovered that only two of his sisters had survived, while his parents and three other sisters had been killed at Paneriai. Failing to adapt to the postwar Soviet reality, the artist went to Warsaw with his wife and two sons in 1959, and in 1968 he moved to Paris. He was fond of repeating the same motif from various angles and revisiting the same subjects, especially views of Vilnius and Paris. He held over 20 solo exhibitions. In 1981 he was awarded a medal by the European Academy of Fine Arts, and in 1983 he received the Medal of the City of Paris.
Source: Ellex Valiunas (LAWIN until 2015) art album: STORIES OF LITVAK ART (2023). Compiler and author Vilma Gradinskaitė.
Rafael Chwoles (b. 1913 Vilnius – d. 2002 Paris) having received a religious education in a Vilnius yeshiva, studied art at the Jewish Schol of Crafts and in private studios. In 1929, he became the youngest member of the Jung Vilne (Young Vilnius) group of writers and artists. He made his debut in an exhibition in Vilnius in 1933, and won first prize for the best portrait. Chwoles spent the Second World War in Russia. In 1944, having returned to Vilnius, he discovered that only two of his sisters had survived, while his parents and three other sisters had been killed at Paneriai. Failing to adapt to the postwar Soviet reality, the artist went to Warsaw with his wife and two sons in 1959, and in 1968 he moved to Paris. He was fond of repeating the same motif from various angles and revisiting the same subjects, especially views of Vilnius and Paris. He held over 20 solo exhibitions. In 1981 he was awarded a medal by the European Academy of Fine Arts, and in 1983 he received the Medal of the City of Paris.
Source: Ellex Valiunas (LAWIN until 2015) art album: STORIES OF LITVAK ART (2023). Compiler and author Vilma Gradinskaitė.
