Gershon Iskowitz: Triumph of the Human Spirit Through Art

Gershon Iskowitz, born in 1921 in Kielce, near Warsaw, Poland, was a renowned Canadian painter whose life and work were profoundly shaped by his early experiences during World War II. His journey as an artist began at an early age, with aspirations to paint taking root when he was just six years old. By the age of 16, in 1937, Iskowitz had entered the Warsaw Academy of Artists, and a year later, he was accepted into the prestigious Cracow Academy of Fine Arts. However, his studies were abruptly cut short in 1939 when the Nazi army invaded Poland, forever altering the course of his life.

 The horrors of the Holocaust deeply impacted Iskowitz and his family. By 1942, he, along with his family, was forced into the Kielce ghetto. Soon after, his father, mother, a brother, and a sister were taken away for "resettlement" and tragically perished in the gas chambers at Treblinka. In 1943, Gershon and his remaining brother were transported to Auschwitz, where his brother was also killed. Iskowitz survived the brutality of several concentration camps, including Dachau, Mjdanek, and Buchenwald. His survival story is one of remarkable resilience. At Buchenwald, while attempting to escape, he was shot and left for dead, only to be later rescued by fellow prisoners and eventually liberated by American forces.

Following his liberation, Iskowitz spent a significant amount of time recovering in a hospital before resuming his artistic education. He studied at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts, where he was awarded a scholarship in 1948, enabling him to study in France and Italy for a year. In 1949, Iskowitz immigrated to Canada, settling in Toronto, where he established himself as an influential artist.

During his time in the concentration camps, Iskowitz made secret sketches on brown wrapping paper, documenting the atrocities he witnessed. These early works were acts of defiance and a means of bearing witness to the horrors of the Holocaust. His resilience as an artist was evident in his refusal to remain silent in the face of evil. These drawings were later reproduced in Saturday Night magazine, accompanied by an article by Kildare Dobbs, highlighting the significance of Iskowitz's early work.

In Canada, Iskowitz's artistic career flourished, and he held numerous solo exhibitions at galleries across the country, including the Hamilton Art Gallery, Vancouver Art Gallery, and various Toronto galleries such as Greenwich Gallery, Hayter Gallery, Here & Now Gallery, and Dorothy Cameron Gallery. His work during this period was characterized by his attachment to watercolour, a medium that had provided solace and expression during his tragic early years. Luba Eleen, in a 1963 review, noted that Iskowitz's work had evolved from his early experiences, with his technique of painting in transparent layers of watercolour creating images that evoked the northern landscape, particularly the jagged lines of pine trees against the horizon at dusk.

Iskowitz's work was not limited to landscapes; his drawings also depicted elements of the Canadian countryside, from ploughed fields to conical pine trees, all rendered with a seemingly random distribution of marks that coalesced into recognizable forms. His later work hinted at a return to earlier interests in the human figure and the expression of strong emotions, suggesting a continuous evolution of his artistic vision.

In 1966, an exhibition of Iskowitz's work was held at Gallery Moos in Toronto, where Harry Malcolmson provided a compelling text for the exhibition catalogue. Iskowitz's contributions to Canadian art were further recognized by his membership in the Canadian Society of Graphic Art, and his work was featured in prestigious exhibitions, including the Sixth Biennial Exhibition of Canadian Painting in 1965, where he exhibited his canvas Autumn Images.

Gershon Iskowitz's legacy is one of remarkable perseverance and artistic achievement, with his work serving as both a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and a powerful reminder of the atrocities of the Holocaust. His journey from the horrors of war to becoming one of Canada's most respected artists is a story of triumph over adversity and the enduring power of art.

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