Isac Friedlander (1890-1968)
Born in 1890 in Mitau, Latvia, Isac Friedlander, an outspoken opponent of Czarist rule, was arrested and sentenced to death at age 16. He was saved both by good fortune and his formidable natural artistic talent, and was released in 1910. His mother sold her jewelry and sent him to Italy, where Friedlander received his only formal art training at the Academy of Rome.
Following the overthrow of the Romanov dynasty, Friedlander returned to Latvia and taught painting and printmaking until 1929, when he embarked for America, where he embraced the plight of the millions cast down by the Great Depression, portraying their hardscrabble existence and suffering in his prints. During that period, Friedlander continued to follow the rise of authoritarian states in Europe and the plight of his people.
In the period leading up to and during the Second World War, Friedlander earned lasting fame when he created etchings and woodcuts that documented the reports of suffering and persecution inflicted upon the conquered peoples throughout Nazi-dominated Europe. Throughout his career in America, Friedlander also turned his printmaking skills to commercial art and illustration. He died in New York.
In The Dark
Etching on cream wove paper, 1934; edition of 30. Plate mark 14¼” x 9-3/8”; sheet size 17-1/8” x 12-3/8”. Annotated New York, 1934; titled In The Dark; numbered 9 and signed by the artist in pencil in the lower margin. A fine impression in overall very good condition. There is discoloration in the lower corners of the sheet, well away from the sight area.
$1,400
Hear, O Israel
Etching on wove paper, 1944; Trial proof No. 5 before edition of 50. Image size 9-3/8” x 13-7/8”; sheet size 12” x 18”. Trial proof No. 5, titled, signed, and dated by the artist in pencil in the lower margin. Traces of ink in the upper margin, otherwise fine.
$1,200
Entangled
Woodcut, 1935; edition of 50. Image size 8-7/8” x 12¾”; sheet size 12-5/8” x 15-7/8”. Titled and signed in pencil by the artist in the lower margin. A powerful image, masterfully printed, in fine condition. There are two small losses at the upper edge of the sheet, and traces of printer’s ink in the upper margin, well away from the image area.
$800
Lest We Forget - 1942
Etching, 1948; edition of 14. Image size 14” x 10-3/8”; sheet size 17¼” x 12½. Titled, numbered 1/14, and signed in pencil by the artist in the lower margin. A fine impression in overall fine condition. Scarce.
$900
Sonnet 144
Woodcut, ca. 1931; edition not stated. Image size 5½” x 7½”; sheet size 8¾” x 11”. Titled and signed in pencil by the artist in the lower margin. A woodcut created for a portfolio presenting and illustrating twelve Shakespearean sonnets. Fine overall condition.
$375