Mojżesz Rynecki “Kazimierz Dolny”

Watercolor on paper, signed lower left “M.Rynecki”.

Framed: 60x48 cm (53x41 cm)

Mojżesz (Moshe) Rynecki (Międzyrzec Podlaski 1881 - 1943 Majdanek) – was a Polish-Jewish artist. He went on to a Russian middle school, which was a prerequisite to acceptance at the Warsaw School of Fine Arts, which he attended for a brief period during the 1906-1907 school year. At age 17, Rynecki met Perla Mittelsbach, the daughter of a Warsaw family of some means. They married, and, while Moshe continued his studies at the Warsaw Academy, Perla was left to oversee the household and to run a small store (that store was located on Krucza Street). After completing his formal education, Rynecki went on to paint that which he knew best; the community in which he lived. In paintings such as "The Chess Players" and "Woman Embroidering," he captured people doing everyday activities and in paintings such as "Simhat Torah," "Synagogue Interior," and "In the Study," his works capture places, events, and issues central to the Jewish community. While some of his works were shown in local galleries were met with good reviews, his son George claims, "he was not successful in selling any of his works." Early in the Second World War Rynecki was forced into the Warsaw Ghetto. Although he had little access to painting materials in the Ghetto, he did continue to paint. Only three paintings from this period of his life survived the Holocaust: "In the Shelter," "Forced Labor," and "Refugees." In early 1943, Moshe was deported to Majdanek concentration camp, where he was murdered.