Litvinovsky’s Last Decade

As I stand in that dusty room crammed with artworks, I find a battered yellow envelope that contains large postcards, one in black and white, the second in color, both splattered with paint. These are the reproductions of Repin’s original. A few black and white photos, on that old type of shiny thick photopaper, slid out of the envelope; they bear images of several charcoal sketches that Litivnovsky made for his own last version of Repin’s “Cossacks”.

In these versions, he no longer follows Repin’s theatrical, precise positioning of the figures. He softens their expressions, minimizes the intensity, adds children, his brushstrokes creating an overall sense of free play. He seems to have finally grasped the way that he wants to portray this image, leaning on the great master but with the full freedom of Litvinovskian art.

In his last years, Litvinvosky grew frail, and it was difficult for him to draw. He was 92 years old when he died on the eve of the Jewish New Year in 1985.

In that quiet abandoned room in the Katamon neighborhood of Jerusalem, Litvinovsky’s legacy between and within artistic worlds lingered—a fusion of Jewish-Russian roots, Parisian vibrancy, Zionist revival, and an ever-present quest for authenticity. By the time we begin working on the Beit Avi Chai Litvinovsky exhibition, the one room in his home where all the remaining works were kept is no longer there. Pinchas Litvinovsky’s elusive genius continues to await rediscovery.

This article is the seventh and final in our series “Rediscovering the Past, Empowering the Future” - Join us on a captivating journey through the life and legacy of Pinchas Litvinovsky.

This article draws from chapters of David Rozenson’s essay, “Rediscovering the Past, Empowering the Future: The Pinchas Litvinovsky Exhibition,” originally published in the exhibition catalogue that is available for sale here.

Visit the Exhibition "You Must Choose Life – That Is Art: Pinchas Litvinovsky".

Main Photo: Pinchas Litvinovsky