Arthur
Szyk
was born in
Lodz, Poland on 3rd June, 1894. Szyk left
home at the age of fifteen to study art in Paris. On the outbreak
of the First World War he returned home and
joined the Russian Army and later served
on the Eastern Front. After Russia signed
the Brest-Litovsk Treaty, Szyk fought in
the Polish army against the Red Army.
In 1921 Szyk moved to France where he resumed
his art studies. Szyk experimented with various contemporary styles
before being deeply influenced by the intricate and decorative style
of illumination. This resulted in Szyk being commissioned to produce
the 45 page Statute of Kalisz,
which glorified the 13th century edict granting rights of citizenship
to Jews in Poland. Szyk's work included
miniature scenes and portraits, illuminated initial letters, decorative
and symbolic border patterns and calligraphy. In 1931 Szyk was commissioned
by the League of Nations to illuminate
its charter.
Adolf Hitler, The New Order (1941)
With the emergence of Adolf
Hitler in Nazi Germany, Szyk
moved to England. When the German
Army invaded
Poland
in 1939 Szyk went to the
United States in an attempt to sway public opinion
against the Nazis. He now began to use his considerable skills within
the genre of political caricature. His work appeared in the New
York Post,
the New
York Times
and Collier's and he became known
as "Franklin Roosevelt's soldier with a pen".
An anthology of Szyk's
anti-Fascist caricatures appeared in his book, The
New Order in 1941. Later that year a survey conducted by
Esquire magazine revealed that
Szyk's political cartoons were more popular with young Americans in
training under the Selective Service Act than photos of movie actresses
or pin-up girls.
Arthur
Szyk, Hermann Goering,
Benito Mussolini and Emperor Hirohito
(1942)
Szyk's not only attacked
Hitler's views on the Jewish race but all
forms of prejudice. He was one of the first artist's to criticize
segregation and other aspects of racism against blacks in the American
armed forces.
After the war Szyk's views on equality brought him to the attention
of Joseph McCarthy. Arthur
Szyk was being investigated by the McCarthy when he died
of a heart attack on 13th September, 1951.
Arthur Szyk, Self-Portait
(1945)
Arthur Szyk Society
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