Lost Treasures: The Wooden Synagogues of Eastern Europe The Artwork of Bill Farran
Shtetl in the Pale Blue - Original Linocut
Shtetl in the Pale Blue - Original Linocut
Most of the images used to make this linocut were from photos taken by Bill Farran during a 2013 roots tour of Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. The shtetls of our ancestors were a unique social and economic institution that was found only in Eastern Europe. Firstly, the shtetl was owned by a Polish noble. The nobles invited Jews to settle on their lands to develop towns, commerce and trade. Jews did settle and towns developed making the nobles and the nation wealthy. The Jews interacted with the peasant farmers, buying their products and selling them needed goods and services. Jews also worked for the nobles by collecting taxes and duties, managing estates, running their forest industries and salt mines. The shtetls brought together Catholic Poles, Jewish town dwellers and agricultural Eastern Orthodox Catholics. The Polish Nobility gave Jews privileges allowing them to create their own institutions and a degree of self-government.
Purchase a print
Original linocut prints are 8x10 inches, and are available either unmatted or in an 11x14 matte.
I also offer matted 5x7 digital prints. These prints are created from high-res digital images and come in an 8x10 matte.
For this synagogue I have created an additional digital print, with Hebrew lettering in the background. These prints are also created from high-res digital images and come in an 8x10 matte.