Hassidic Elder.

Kaunas-born Lazar Krestin was one of the most prominent students of the great Isidor Kaufmann, and like his mentor, focused his art on portraits and genre scenes of traditional East European Jewish life. The French Impressionists were a strong influence to Krestin’s art as can be seen in the present painting, an uncommonly large portrait. Like Renoir, Krestin’s execution of his subject freely utilizes brush-strokes of color, whereby the painted figure softly fuses amidst his surroundings.