Arbit Blatas | The Butcher of Ceret | Oil on cardboard, 100x65 (114x89)

Sign.: LR BLATAS

Renowned Lithuanian-born Jewish artist Arbit Blatas (born Neemija Arbitblatas in 1908 in Kaunas, died in 1999 in New York) began his creative journey in his homeland and continued it in schools in Berlin, Dresden, and Munich, where he gained experience in German expressionism. He later lived and worked in France, Italy, and the USA. The interwar period in Paris shaped Arbit Blatas's modern artistic worldview, and his striking painting talent and original artistic language placed him among the young generation of artists of the Paris School (École de Paris). Paris also fostered and revealed the expressive artistic style of the painter. His encounter with the traditions of modern art and friendly relationships with living classics of modernism had a decisive influence on his formation.

Portrait painting, especially, was a significant genre that showcased Arbit Blatas's talent. The artist was one of the great masters of portraiture in the École de Paris. Like A. Modigliani, he constantly carried a small notebook, where he sketched his friends, acquaintances, and people who intrigued him.