Tadeusz Rychter (1873-1943), The Artist's Spouse (?), 1920.
Watercolor on heavy paper. Signed and dated.
Tadeusz Rychter, born in Poland, studied at the Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków. He married the Polish artist and socialite Bronisława Janowska, but the two separated after several years and Rychter moved to Munich, where he met his partner in life and art, Anna May-Rychter. In Munich, Rychter was introduced to the philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, founder of anthroposophy, and was captivated by it. The Rycters soon became ardent anthroposophists and worked on decorating the first Goetheanum, the anthroposophical movement center in Dornach, Switzerland.
In ca. 1924, the Rychters were commissioned to paint watercolors of the Holy sites in Palestine by a company that sold the paintings in Europe. They settled in Jerusalem, creating delicate watercolors depicting the views and people of Palestine and commissioned portraits. Rychter was also hired to take part in the restoration of a church in Bethlehem. The Rychters displayed their works in various exhibitions. A review of a joint exhibition of their works at the Bezalel National Art Museum ("Doar Hayom", May 6, 1927) noted: "…Rychter is unique in his ability, not only in Palestine, but in Europe as well. He is one of the few who perfected the watercolor portrait. He was able to convey the subtlety of the tone […] and mainly the emotional expression. Here, the transparency of watercolors helps the artist peer through the skin into the subject's soul. Of all the portraits on display, most noticeable was the portrait of Mrs. Rychter (the artist's wife), which is as expertly executed as works by the greatest English aquarellists…" (Hebrew).
In 1935 Tadeusz Rychter applied for membership in the Palestine Artists' Association but was turned down, most probably because of his religion. In 1939, he was invited to Poland to create frescos for a new church, and with the outbreak of World War II was unable to return to Palestine. As far as is known, Ryhcter was arrested and murdered by the Nazis.
42X33 cm, in a 78X69.5 cm frame. Good condition. Minor blemishes to frame. Unexamined out of frame.
Provenance: The collection of Simcha Holtzberg, "Father of the Wounded Soldiers".
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Simcha Holtzberg (1924-1994), also known as the "Father of the Wounded Soldiers", loreate of the 1976 Israel Prize, was born in Warsaw, Poland, and experienced firsthand the horrors of the Holocaust in the Warsaw Ghetto and the camps of Budzyń and Bergen-Belzen. After the liberation, he immigrated to Palestine, married and started a family, making a living trading in Judaica and art. Since the Six-Day War, he devoted much of his time and efforts to helping wounded and disabled IDF soldiers and bereaved families. He visited wounded soldiers in hospitals, supporting them both spiritually and financially and accompanying them in their recovery as a real father would.
From Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s eulogy in memory of Simcha Holtzberg: "This man, snatched from the fire of the Holocaust, so deeply concerned for the State of Israel, a haven for Holocaust refugees, did everything in his power so that the catastrophe would be remembered. The terrors of the Holocaust followed him like a shadow, fueling his love of the State, the wounded, the disabled, the bereaved families […] in the name of the Israel Defense Forces and in the name of the State of Israel, I salute you, Simcha".