UTW 53

Hagadah Ginzburg. Drawn in memory of anti-Fascist activist Leone Ginzburg

Art: 2004
Media: Ink, gouache, watercolor, colored pencil
Framed, 27.5 inches H x 39 W

The drawing depicts the Italian Jewish anti-Fascist intellectual and activist Leone Ginzburg. His late wife was the Italian writer Natalia (1916-1991); they had three children.

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Born in Odessa, his parents moved to Berlin and then to Turin when he was very young. As an adult, he was a founder of the Italian publishing house Giulio Einaudi; and taught, in the early 1930's, Russian literature and Slavic languages at the University of Turin. 

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He was arrested for anti-Fascist writings in 1934; and again, with Carlo Levi (the celebrated author of the memoir Christo si e enfermato a Eboli [Christ stopped at Eboli], in 1935.

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On November 20, 1943, Ginzburg was arrested in Rome; this was during the Nazi military occupation of northern Italy. He was taken the Regina Coeli prison where he was beaten and severely tortured. On Feb. 5, 1944 he died from injuries sustained in the torture.  He was 34 years old.

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Background to the drawing's imagery:

The following three images were inspired by the following plates/photos seen in the book Jewish Art & Civilisation, edited by Geoffrey Wigoder, Chartwell Books, 1972; chapter 3, Italy, written by Shlomo Simonsohn:

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1) The castle at upper left, inspired by plate, p. 115, the "Printer's Flag" of Gershom Soncino, 15th to early 16th C., reproduced from the collection of the Jewish National and University Library, Jerusalem.

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2) The Chanukah menorah at bottom center, drawn from a photo of a 15th C. Italian lamp, p. 98. The lamp is in the collection of the Israel Museum, 188/606 Feuchtwanger collection.

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3) Torah finial at top center: Upper left photo, p. 126, of an 18th C. Rimonim ornament, Venice, reproduced from the collection of the Porgtuguees Israelietische Gemeente, Amsterdam

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The pier of the left wing (seen on viewer's right): Drawn from a photo taken by the artist on the old stone pier in the the Corfu harbor, Greece, 1985

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The boats and ferry (lower right) were drawn from a window in the artist's apartment looking out over Western Ave, which had a small view of Puget Sound.  In Seattle's Pike Place Market, Segan lived there from spring 1990 to spring 2009.