128 years ago, Artur Szyk, an outstanding graphic artist, illustrator and caricaturist was born in Łódź into an assimilated Jewish family. He considered Poland his homeland. Szyk became famous as the creator of popular caricatures of Hitler and elaborate graphics modelled on the medieval art of book ornamentation.
He studied in Paris, where he learnt about the latest trends in art, but he was more attracted to the medieval art of book illumination. After returning to Poland, he continued his education in Krakow, also designing costumes, theater and cabaret decorations.
In 1914, he took part in a trip to Palestine, where he was strongly impressed by the independence efforts of the Jewish settlers. The journey was interrupted by the outbreak of World War I, which forced Szyk to return to Poland. After Poland regained independence, he developed his artistic career, but as early as 1919 he took part in the Polish-Bolshevik war as an officer of the Polish cavalry dealing with propaganda issues. In 1921, he moved to Paris where his graphics took on vivid colors, achieving a characteristic style with rich colors and attention to detail with surprisingly interwoven contemporary elements, e.g. a defeated swastika in the depiction of the triumphant Polish king Władysław Jagiełło.
Despite the fact that from 1937 he worked in England, and then from 1940 in the USA, he maintained strong ties with Poland. As he recalled, Szyk was always outraged by the slanderous attacks by enemies on Poland. He also emphasized “the great traditions of Polish religious and national tolerance”. In the years 1926-1928, he made original illustrations for the Statute of Kalisz (privileges granted to Polish Jews in 1264) showing the contribution of Jews to Polish culture, as well as the heroism of Poles in the fight for independence. He was especially popular with caricatures of Hitler, Mussolini and the Japanese Emperor Hirohito. His drawings, which appeared in newspapers, on posters, cards, and on postage stamps, played an important role in American war propaganda. He often referred to himself as a soldier in art. Apart from caricatures, he dealt with book illustrations. He made drawings for the Haggadah, Eastern fairy tales and Andersen’s books, as well as biblical stories and many other works.
He died on September 13, 1951. Currently, Szyk’s work is commemorated by The Arthur Szyk Society.