| Raphael Soyer | ||
| Birth Date: December 25, 1899 |
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| Death Date: November 4, 1987 Artist Gallery |
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| Born in Russia, Raphael Soyer was considered a social realist because of his interest in the common man. His father, a Hebrew teacher and writer, encouraged artistic and intellectual pursuits. Because of his father’s popularity with his students and his liberal ideas, the family was subsequently deported by the Tsarist regime. They relocated to New York City in 1913.
Soyer’s experience of immigrant life provided him with a rich source of imagery for his art; he often observed his fellow New Yorkers from his studio in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. His common themes were intimate studies of solitary women, often nudes, portraits of fellow artists and himself. He did not accept commissions for portraits because his interest was in the private person rather than the public façade. Soyer’s brothers, Moses (Raphael’s identical twin) and Isaac were also artists.
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