"Samantha Baskind examines the painter's art and life in the rich context of religious, cultural, political, and social conditions in the twentieth-century United States. By promoting an understanding of Soyer not only as a painter of social conditions but also as a Jewish American artists, she addresses larger questions regarding the definition and study of modern Jewish art. Whereas previous scholars have defined Jewish art simply as art produced by people who were born Jewish, Baskind stresses the importance of an artist's cultural identity when defining ethnic art. Baskind explains how Soyer negotiated his Jewish identity in changing ways over the course of his life. At the same time, she offers new strategies for identifying and interpreting Jewish art in general.

Her analysis of Soyer's work places the artist in a necessary cultural context and provides a valuable new approach to the study of modern Jewish art."--Jacket.