Responses
Personal responses to paintings
Felix Lembersky is one of the very finest Russian artists of the second half of the twentieth century. ... I was struck by the fact that many historians of Russian art had not previously known of his work - an indication of how profoundly ignorant we ALL still remain with regard to Soviet culture and how much work we still have to do to compensate for the silences and confusions brought about by censorship and propaganda.
— Robert Chandler, translator of Russian literature, London, 2012
I feel certain that Lembersky will assume his rightful place in the history of twentieth-century Russian Jewish art. His creativity and his courage should serve as exemplars to all who value art and freedom.
— Jonathan Sarna, professor of Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History, Brandeis University, 2012
Felix Lembersky is a major artist; he is a man of independent views and courageous actions; he lived an extraordinary life—and he deserves to have a prominent place in the history of art.
— Irina Karasik, Russian Museum, 2010
Felix Lembersky is an artist whose high quality of work deserves to be known by a larger audience and this volume [Felix Lembersky. Paintings and Drawings] will go some distance in helping him to gain the recognition that he merits.
— Ori Z Soltes, Teaching Professor at Center for Jewish Civilization, Georgetown University, Ars Judaica, 2011
It is palpably apparent to me that Felix Lembersky’s work, particularly his portraits and images of people from the last three decades of his life, reflects an extraordinarily powerful impulse to transform his viewers, to touch them in ways that renew their sensitivity to each other and to the world in which they live.
— Joe Troncale, Professor Emeritus of Russian Literature and Visual Studies, University of Richmond, 2011
Lembersky’s most compelling work deals, ultimately, with human experience. …[B]ecause he accepted the artist’s discipline and responsibility as witness and conscience for his time, he kept his integrity and made his images universal.
— Alison Hilton, Georgetown University, 2011
Thanks to the indefatigable work of Felix Lembersky's wife, daughter, and granddaughter we can all now see that his paintings are the work of one of the worlds' great artists. Yelena Lembersky's presentation of her grandfather's work to our students at USF Tampa evoked in them admiration for both the paintings themselves and his determination to follow his own path in the face of the Soviet system's failure to recognize its great merit.
— Victor Peppard, Professor of Russian, University of Southern Florida 2023
These works stand as a mute reminder of the devastation of wars. Fabulous collection with a very compelling and timely mission. Vibrant, moving, thank you for making this possible.
—from exhibition guestbooks, 2011
Student responses to paintings
Grace B., student in Children Under Fire course, taught by Elizabeth Goodenough, the University of Michigan, 2022
I am really inspired by Felix Lembersky's paintings. The one I chose for this free write struck me because of the look on the person's face staring out at the viewer. Their mouth is ajar and their head is resting in their arms. It is a defeated position to be in. I was also struck by the cubist-like features of the painting, jagged lines, and geometric shapes, similar to that of a Picasso. I like seeing where Felix might have been inspired by earlier artists and incorporating different styles into his work. The cool toned colors create an aura of melancholy surrounding the figure, possibly reflecting the state of Russia at the time that Felix was living in it. Maybe the figure is himself looking out at his changing home environment after the war. The figure is in solitude and makes me want to reflect on what they might be feeling.
My final thoughts for this week relate to staying true to who you are and knowing yourself. Sometimes you need to seek solitude like Ferdinand and the figure in the painting have done to take a break from the world around them.
Kristina G., student in Children Under Fire course, taught by Elizabeth Goodenough, the University of Michigan, 2022
One person may look at the above painting by Felix Lembersky and see the plight of poverty. Another may see a tired, overworked woman. Others still may see the consequences of a communist regime or other political situations. In my eyes, I see a lonely woman, curled in the fetal position atop a hard, unsupportive surface. Her top – blue like the ocean or a rainy day – captures the viewers' focus and highlights her bluish skin. Is she cold, sad, or alone? Open eyes expose her waking state, implying exhaustion rather than restful sleep. In Hearn’s quote about Lawson, admirable art has “a good story” and a “purpose or lesson.” In The Story of Ferdinand, Leaf's narrative guides the stories and lessons in Lawson’s artwork. Even still, adults found ways to interpret Ferdinand to represent various political stances. What is the story of this woman in Lembersky’s painting? Is she someone real or imagined? If this painting existed in a children’s storybook, what text would accompany it? . . . Lembersky details the clothing and features of the woman more realistically than the background, but even still, I would not know the person as a woman except for the title of the painting. Why does he use abstract detail? What nonconformist ideas does this painting evoke?
Catherine Ann Conklin., student in Children Under Fire course, taught by Elizabeth Goodenough, the University of Michigan, 2022
Response to "Visual art is a powerful instrument” - Felix Lembersky, Film: Artist, Paintings, and Drawings
Visual art being seen as a “powerful instrument” is so true because before you can read, you can see and interpret the world in your own uncensored way. Just like when you see a painting in a museum: the way you see it before looking at the description can be totally different. Also, they say before you read a word you really look at the shape of the word and that is how you can read with some letters scrambled. All of these things show the power of simply looking. This is why visual art can do so many things. You don’t have to know how to read or interpret scholarly texts, you can just look and make your own assumptions, whether the message is very obvious or not.
Lourdes Figueroa, student at the University of Richmond, 2012,
Her thesis essay, “The Hidden Colors in the Art of Felix Lembersky,” was included in Torn From Darkness, a catalogue for the exhibition curated and edited by Joe Troncale, the University of Richmond, 2012.
Viewing Felix Lembersky’s artwork in person is like eavesdropping on the artist’s most private moments. Part of my summer undergraduate research project consisted of spending time with Lembersky’s artwork and studying the paintings as primary sources of my research. For several weeks, I spent every day amidst a large collection of his paintings and drawings as I worked on the online database, organized the archive, and on occasion, helped the curator stretch the canvases. Looking at Lembersky’s work, I initially saw myself as an outsider, being neither Jewish, nor Russian. Regardless, as I observed the images, I learned that I was welcome. His paintings reveal strong influences from both traditions, yet the central theme in his art is life and the vigor of the human spirit. His experience as a Russian-Jewish artist penetrates his work and heightens his insight of humanity. . . .
Lembersky deliberately challenged his viewers to contemplate what is beyond the immediate layers of his paintings. We are carried beyond the specifics of space and time in his work and pushed to relate to the image on a personal level. His compositions are more than the sum of their parts; we are part of them as well. He tells a story and creates an experience. He manages to extol the soul of humanity. Perhaps this is what Lembersky wanted — for us to gain a deeper understanding, even a deeper love, of people and life through art.
