Abel Pann (1883-1963), born in Latvia, is considered one of the founding fathers of Israeli art. During World War I, he made posters to support the war effort and paintings documenting the German occupation.
Especially remarkable during this period was a series of 50 drawings showing the extreme suffering of Jewish communities caught in the fighting between Germany, Poland and Russia. The drawing before us depicts the tragic reality of the Jews in the battle areas. German soldiers are "hiding" behind a Jewish family - a mother and her three children. The mother is crying for help, two children are huddled by her side while the third is lying dead on the ground. In the background you can see a convoy of Jewish refugees among the barrels of rifles.
Pann travelled to the USA in 1917 with this series of tragic pictures and was acknowledged as "the greatest Jewish painter" of the time. The collection of pictures was bought by Marcus Fechenheimer and donated to the Bezalel museum. The collection was exhibited in a hall (Nod Ha'Demaot) documenting the suffering of the Jews. Today, some of the drawings are exhibited at the Hecht Museum in Haifa.
Size: 63X50 cm.
Condition: Very Good.