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Lot description
Julius Thiengen Bloch (1888 - 1966) Oil on board, Signed Lower Right, Measures (7 x 8 inches) w/frame (11 x 10 inches) Julius Block, one of the prominent Jewish artists of Philadelphia, was a social realist painter whose subjects focused on the working classes. His admiration for Thomas Eakins, also a social realist, likely contributed to his interest in these subjects. For many years, he was a teacher at the Pennsylvania Academy, and his message to students was that you need to know life in order to paint life.He began his career by painting floral still-lives, but seeing Depression-era social conditions changed his focus to express his sympathy for persons who were "down and out." One of the first American artists to paint poverty-stricken black Americans, he tried to make sure that his subjects retained their dignity. In doing this, he painted many of the poor blacks with the formality of high-dollar, commissioned portraits. Not everyone was accepting of this presentation.