Joseph Hirsch, SupperMuseum Purchase, Derby Fund, from the Philip J. and Suzanne Schiller Collection of American Social Commentary Art 1930-1970
The Painter's Eye: January/February 2016
Featuring Supper by Joseph Hirsch
To celebrate the opening of the expanded Columbus Museum of Art, this year’s Painter’s Eye articles will focus solely on works drawn from the collection. I will be asking various individuals to each select a compelling piece, a particular favorite or perhaps something that has only recently been displayed again.
Every museum has more work than can be shown at once, so there is always the chance you’ll notice something you haven’t seen before.
Joseph Hirsch (1910-1981) is a painter I had heard of, but I have never seen one of his works in person. Supper (1963/65, oil on canvas) is a formidable piece of painting.
Hirsch was an excellent draftsman with a fine sense of design. He studied with George Luks (1867-1933) and noted colorist Henry Hensche (1899-1992) and is generally regarded as a “social realist.”
Hirsch came of age during the Great Depression; he was a prize-winning artist before becoming a war correspondent for both the U.S. Navy and U.S. Army. Social commentary always played a role in Hirsch’s work, but rarely in a propagandizing way; instead, it was presented with subtlety and acknowledgement of great figurative works of the past.
In fact, this painting made me think of the great Italian master Masaccio (1401-1428), with its clean design and ordered planes in space.
Hirsch wants you to see each of these men as individuals and worthy of our compassion.
The palette is mostly restricted to black, white and red. Visiting this painting in person reveals a range of subtle paint handling and color almost impossible to reproduce in a photograph.
Hirsch had a very successful career. He sold his paintings through New York galleries, worked on commissions for corporations and executed special projects such as designs for theater programs. He also taught at the Chicago Art Institute, the National Academy of Design and, finally, the Art Students League in New York City, where he was teaching at the time of his death. During his lifetime, Hirsch won every major award offered for American artists.
You will have a chance to visit this work if you attend Wonderball on Jan. 30. With Cameron Mitchell on board as caterer (and the engine behind Schokko Art Café, the museum’s great new restaurant), the museum will be one of the premiere event spaces in Columbus.
Nationally renowned local artist Michael McEwan teaches painting and drawing classes at his Clintonville area studio.
