Reuben Kadish—a name that doesn’t roll off your tongue like Washington or Lincoln, but hold your breath, because his story is as vibrant and tumultuous as our nation. Born in Chicago in 1913, Kadish was an American painter and sculptor who flirted with the fringes of political discourse through his art. What did he achieve? Why should you care? Spoiler alert: because he navigated the choppy waters of the art world with the kind of audacity and courage that only a true American patriot and artist could muster.
Kadish's early life was marked by an American Dream that most today would do well to remember. His family moved to Los Angeles, not to indulge in Hollywood fantasies but to work hard and make a life in a growing American city. He studied at Otis Art Institute, proving that grit and education pave the path to opportunity. However, talent alone wasn't his sole blessing; he happened to befriend Philip Guston. Yes, Guston—an iconic painter and contemporary known for his affinity with, and later departure from, the politically charged artists of the New Deal era.
Together with Guston, Kadish ventured to Mexico in 1934, embarking on what would become a formative period in his artistic career. There they worked on large murals under the mentorship of Diego Rivera. You heard that right—Diego Rivera, the giant of the Mexican muralism movement. Kadish's time in Mexico reading history from the walls served as a cauldron where his artistic and philosophical ideas brewed.
By the late 1930s, Kadish had returned to the States, painting murals for the Work Projects Administration. He engaged in something creatives today might find shocking: reflecting America back to itself. It was unabashedly patriotic in scope. Kadish's work during this period skirted leftist trends, as younger artists turned social issues into an excuse for less creative expressionism. Kadish, however, painted pure human expression, without the need for identity politics to validate its existence.
Kadish found himself in the military during World War II, and you guessed it—turning his artistic skills to the war effort as a documentary filmmaker in the jungles of Burma. Such a move emphasizes the inherent patriotism and resourcefulness of artists in wartime, displaying how art isn’t just isolated to decadent galleries or the whims of critics. Art is war, and war is history. Kadish's experiences in the military might not have earned him a place in the liberal pantheon of pacifist artists, but did it ever capture an essence of patriotic duty!
In post-war years, Kadish initially struggled to find footing but made a significant pivot to become a sculptor. Sculpting, some might say, was his subtle rejection of superficial trends that were running amok in the mid-20th century art scene. Rather than indulge in distorted canvases, Kadish dedicated himself to three-dimensional arts, grounding his expressions in reality.
Intriguingly enough, Reuben Kadish even taught at Cooper Union and the New School for Social Research, institutions with rather eclectic reputations. This kind of contrarian dynamic made him a fascinating figure as he adhered to pushing the envelope rather than riding trendy artistic waves.
Kadish eventually became associated with the Allan Stone Gallery in New York, a pivotal location for contemporary art at the time. Nevertheless, his legacy didn’t quite receive the spotlight it deserved. His work, rich with challenge and introspection, undoubtedly reshaped American art yet quietly evaded the more radical leftist narrative. His contribution to deeply American themes stands as a reminder that art for art's sake without political hysteria still holds indispensable value.
Celebrating his works today requires understanding that Kadish is a rare breed. An artist who spanned multiple mediums, adapted over decades, and contributed richly to American cultural fiber. Could it be that his art didn't preach enough, didn't pander to the proverbial choir? Absolutely. His legacy, absorbed by rock-solid realism, challenges the ephemeral nature of today's contemporary art trends.
Reuben Kadish, unruffled by either shallow commendations or silencing critiques, is not just an artist's artist; he is an American artist whose work traveled the lengths of history, unpacked volumes of questions rather than empty slogans, and kept the soul of a nation's creative vigor alive when it needed it the most. There you have it, without fanfare or fluff—he's an artist unafraid of the intrinsic exploration embodied in the human spirit—and that’s more evocative than any fleeting trend.