Shahn, Ben (1898-1969), an American painter, tried through his art to communicate with people and influence their thinking and emotions. His realistic paintings and drawings deal directly and powerfully with such themes as labor movements, race relations, and atomic warfare.
Shahn was born on Sept. 12, 1898, in Lithuania and came to the United States when he was 8. He first attracted attention in the 1930’s with a series of paintings about the Sacco-Vanzetti trial (see Sacco-Vanzetti case ). Many of his paintings are murals. Shahn was a skilled draftsman and printmaker. He created both art prints and advertising illustrations. Shahn also expressed in his photography a compassionate interest in his fellow human beings. A series of his lectures on art was published as The Shape of Content (1957). He died on March 14, 1969.
