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Mark Antokolsky 1881/2, 'Spinoza', sculpture in marble exhibited in the Russian Museum
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I found this amazing sculpture by Mordechai (Mark) Antokolsky
in my book on Jewish art[1]
which I discovered in a charity shop. So I found an image of it on the
internet to post here.
In this marble sculpture made in 1881, Antokolsky has
depicted Spinoza in a thinking, working mood with a manuscript lying open at
his feet and a manuscript on his lap. Perhaps he’s thinking whether he can
afford to publish his controversial Ethics? Is that his unfinished TP on his
lap? Who knows, but the sculpture invites the viewer to examine Spinoza’s pose
and ask questions about his possible inner thoughts and feelings because
Antokolsky was well-known for his style of bringing out the psychological[2]
complexities of those he sculpted.
Antokolsky started from poor beginnings learning to be a gold
lacer, engraver and woodcarver before entering St Petersburg Academy[3].
He became a sculptor of Jewish subjects before progressing to sculpting
enormous statues of Russian czars which brought him fame[4].
Nevertheless, even then, he had to suffer anti-Semitic attacks, including on
his non-Jewish works, in the form of derogatory articles[5].
He then returned to Jewish-themed works and it was during this period he did
this sculpture of Spinoza. Antokolsky (1843-1902) was a Lithuanian Jewish
sculptor. He is considered the first Jewish sculptor coming to prominence
during the 19th century Jewish emancipation from ghetto life[6]
which, interestingly enough, was not the situation in the Netherlands where
Jews lived in a Jewish quarter (where Jews and non-Jews could travel in and out
freely) not a ghetto[7].
Rembrandt is one such example of a non-Jew who lived and worked in a Jewish quarter
and enjoyed Jewish culture, gaining inspiration from it for his artistic works[8].
Antokolsky had a dual identity being both Lithuanian (which
meant he was Russian because Lithuania was a province of Russia at that time) and
Jewish and explored both identities as themes in his works[9].
I wonder whether Antokolsky identified with Spinoza also having a dual identity
(Dutch and Jewish). Although, arguably, Spinoza had multiple identities because
his family came from Portugal and Portuguese was his first language but several
generations back his family came from Spain and Spinoza also knew Spanish. So
Spinoza, strictly speaking, is Dutch-Sephardi Jewish-Portuguese-Spanish. This, I
think, is relevant to the present political world climate of nationalism as
well as an increasing tendency to mistake trans-culturalism and explorations of
the culture of previous generations in your family as potentially being
cultural appropriation. I’ve noticed how, today, many are suddenly claiming and
emphasising that people should have only one identity, yet, in truth, most people
have multiple identities that are an essential part of who they are and this
should be respected by others. Nobody should feel they have to hide and
suppress/repress an aspect of their total identity for fear of being discriminated
against and condemned. The issue of having and celebrating multiple identities
is one that the musician Daniel Barenboim feels passionately about, as do I. This
multiple identity of Spinoza is something I attempt to bring out in my research
and interpretation of Spinoza’s writings.
So what I particularly love about this statue is that it
makes the viewer connect with Spinoza as a person, mainly due to his pose and
expression which conveys a gentle, thinking manner, which is how I see him. The
manuscripts on his lap and at his feet remind us of Spinoza’s philosophical
writings. It also reminds us of Spinoza’s Jewishness and struggle for his
Jewish identity through political turmoil over generations of his family’s
history because Antokolsky created this statue during his second Jewish-themed
artistic period when he himself was reflecting on a changing political climate
in various countries which was producing a rise in anti-Semitism, causing many
Jews, including himself, to leave their homeland in search of a more welcoming
country[10].
Have fun connecting with and interpreting this art work for yourselves
and, if you feel moved to, let me know in comments below what you think of this
statue of Spinoza.
[1] O. N. Mazar, ed., The International
Hebrew Heritage Library: Great Jews in Art, vol. III (Miami, Florida, USA:
Lamplight Publishing. International Book Corporation, 1969).
[2] No author given, Fine Art Auctioneers, Hammersite, n/d,
http://www.hammersite.com/RequestBid/10823.aspx.
[3] Mazar, The International Hebrew
Heritage Library: Great Jews in Art, III:12.
[4] Mazar, III:12–14.
[5] Mazar, III:14.
[6] Mazar, III:12.
[7] D. Shyovitz, “The Netherlands (Holland)
Virtual Jewish History Tour,” Jewish Virtual Library (Jewish Virtual
Library, project of AICE, n/d),
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-netherlands-virtual-jewish-history-tour.
[8] Shyovitz.
[9] Mazar, The International Hebrew
Heritage Library: Great Jews in Art, III:12–14.
[10] Mazar, III:12–14.
