Objects

In Adler’s work, his Jewish identity is not concealed; it often appears, whether as a personal motif or as a compositional element of the painting. This is the case in the still lifes painted in the 1930s, which feature objects used in Jewish religious ceremonies. In this Still Life, these include a balsam bottle, a colourful festive tablecloth, and a lulav, a bouquet for the festival of Sukkot composed of date palm branches, myrtle twigs, willow, and an etrog (https://delet.jhi.pl/pl/psj?articleId=19869, accessed 19 December 2024).

The painting was probably created in the mid-1930s, perhaps during his stay in Warsaw, where he lived from 1935 to 1937. Adler lightened his palette at that time, lending the colours brightness and luminosity, and added vibrancy to the texture of his canvases. | RP