Anatoli Lvovich Kaplan
A Soviet-era artist who channeled the vanished world of Jewish shtetl life into luminous, folkloric prints and sculptures.
1902–1980 (age 78)·Belarusian Jewish painter, sculptor, and printmaker·Birthday: December 26·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Anatoli Kaplan was born in 1902 in the Belarusian town of Rogachev, a place steeped in the Yiddish culture that would become his life's work. He moved to Leningrad to study at its prestigious art academy, initially focusing on painting. In the 1930s, he turned to printmaking, a medium where he found his true voice. Navigating the constraints of Soviet ideology, Kaplan dedicated himself to illustrating the stories of Sholem Aleichem, particularly Tevye the Dairyman, and scenes of pre-revolutionary Jewish village life. His lithographs are not mere illustrations; they are dense, textured worlds rendered in a unique, melancholic palette of ochres, blues, and sepias, populated by expressive figures and a deep sense of memory. His work, which also included delicate ceramic sculptures, served as a poignant, artistic memorial for a culture decimated by the Holocaust and suppressed under Stalin. He worked persistently until his death in 1980, leaving behind an archive that quietly insists on the endurance of a rich cultural spirit.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Anatoli was born in 1902, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Anatoli Was Born
The biggest hits of 1902
Anatoli's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1902Born
The eruption of Mount Pelee kills 30,000 in Martinique
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1907Started school
Financial panic grips Wall Street
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1915Became a teenager
The Lusitania is sunk by a German U-boat
President: Woodrow Wilson
1918Could drive
World War I ends; Spanish flu pandemic kills millions
President: Woodrow Wilson
1920Could vote
Women gain the right to vote in the US
Home: $3,395President: Woodrow Wilson"Swanee" — Al Jolson
1923Turned 21
The Great Kanto earthquake devastates Tokyo
President: Calvin Coolidge"Yes! We Have No Bananas" — Billy Jones
1932Turned 30
Amelia Earhart flies solo across the Atlantic
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Night and Day" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Grand Hotel
1942Turned 40
Battle of Midway turns the tide in the Pacific
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,175Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"White Christmas" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Mrs. Miniver
1952Turned 50
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1962Turned 60
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1972Turned 70
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1980Died at 78
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
Key Achievements
- Created a celebrated series of lithographs illustrating Sholem Aleichem's 'Tevye the Dairyman' stories in the 1950s and 60s.
- Produced a major cycle of color lithographs titled 'Shtetl, My Forgotten Shtetl,' evoking the lost world of Eastern European Jewry.
- His works are held in major international collections, including the State Russian Museum and the Tretyakov Gallery.
- Masterfully transitioned from painting to printmaking and later to sculptural ceramics, excelling in multiple artistic disciplines.
Did You Know?
He initially trained and worked as an electrical engineer before pursuing art professionally.
Kaplan's studio in Leningrad was a gathering place for the city's Jewish intelligentsia.
Much of his work was created at the experimental lithography workshop of the Leningrad Union of Artists.
A significant collection of his work is housed at the Beit Shalom Aleichem museum in Tel Aviv.
“My art is a song for the vanished world of the Jewish shtetl.”
