Oil on canvas. Signed lower right.

KRESTIN, LAZAR. Chassidic Rabbi at Study.

Austrian, 1868-1938.

Lazar Krestin was born in Kovno in 1868. He studied art in Vienna and Munich. He specialised in landscape painting and his work reflects the style of the great French Impressionists. He also painted many portraits and genre scenes of European Jewish life. The infuence of Impressionism can be seen in this composition; Krestin uses thin washes of paint and a palate of luminous colors. However, its’ other qualities are more characteristic of the Post-Impressionist decade when artists once again showed a concern with the problems of form. There is a strong sense of balance implied by the contrast of the blue walls, the crimson drapery and the ochre tablecloth. The folds of the tablecloth, the sharp edges of the books, the features of the Chassid’s face and clothing are all carefully observed and represented.