“Hyman Bloom: Paintings and Drawings (1940 – 2005),” currently at White Box (the cutting edge international art space on Broome Street), is a rare opportunity to observe the creative process of one of the most important practitioners of 20th century Jewish Art in America. Totally dominating the pristine gallery space are 18 large oil paintings of rabbis each holding a large Torah scroll. It is as if the artist invited you into the most private recesses of his studio (which in reality he never would permit), put his arm around you and explained, “this is exactly how an artist makes paintings about being a modern Jew.” Considering the subject of the paintings and the nature of the venue, this is a shocking and gusty show. Jew with Torah (#2) (1990s), oil on canvas by Hyman Bloom. Courtesy White Box and Estate of Hyman Bloom. Jew with Torah (#2) (1990s), oil on canvas by Hyman Bloom. Courtesy White Box and Estate of Hyman Bloom. Bloom, who passed away in 2009 at the age of 96, was a highly respected and yet tragically under-valued star of the mid-century avant-garde. Born in Latvia in 1913, his traditional cheder education quickly fell by the wayside upon immigration to the United States and settlement in Boston in 1920.
