Light a Candle

Chanukah, the Jewish festival of lights, begins today and runs through December 7.

During Chanukah, Chaim Gross's works lend insight to his life experiences and his Jewish faith.

After World War II, Gross explored different subjects and techniques. The loss of family members in the Holocaust provoked an interest in Judaic subject matter. Judith, carved in 1960, is based on the Old Testament. Although the face is typically mask like, the massive hair with its abrupt, horizontal termination and heavy, jagged form may symbolically allude to the weapon with which Judith slew Holofernes.

Nevertheless, Gross is better known for his images of nurturing women, playful children, and circus performers. His art usually expressed optimistic, affirming themes. His acrobats, cyclists, mothers, and children convey joyfulness, exuberance, love, and intimacy. This aspect of his work remained consistent with his Hasidic heritage, which teaches that "only in his childlike happiness is man nearest to God."

See more of Gross's lyrical artworks in our online exhibition Chaim Gross: A Celebration.

Pictured top: Chaim Gross, 1904 Austria–1991 USA, Judith, 1960, rosewood on wood base, 13 3/4 x 10 x 7 1/8 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Chaim and Rene Gross.

Pictured bottom: Chaim Gross, 1904 Austria–1991 USA, Proud Mother (study for sculpture), 1953, pencil on paper, 20 7/8 x 14 3/4 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Renee and Chaim Gross Foundation.