Vijf lezende joodse mannen 1930 - 1932

Julius C. Turner made this print of five Jewish men reading, we don't know when or where but I can imagine him in the moment, inking up the plate, maybe more than once, wiping it down, running it through the press to see how it looks, then starting again. Look at how he has built up these areas of light and dark. The men are huddled around a table with a book. I bet that it was important for Turner to capture the intensity of their expressions, the angle of their heads, and the wrinkles on their faces. It reminds me of Rembrandt and the way he used light to create drama and emotion. I wonder what kind of conversations Turner was having with other artists when he made this print and whether they were also exploring similar themes of community, identity, and tradition. Artists are in an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas across time, inspiring one another’s creativity.