Shalom of Safed

Overview of the work and aesthetics of the remarkable self-taught painter Shalom of Safed. Shalom Moscpvitz (1887 - 1980) was a religious Jew, born in Safed and raised during the years when Palestine was part of the Ottoman Empire. He was a watchmaker and scribe until at age 60 he began to paint. His work immediately attracted attention. He concentrated on moments from Bible history, depicting that history in the context of the world he knew as a youth; for example, young men wear the Turkish fez. He established an international reputation but remained much as he had always been, a humble man from Galilee.