Chaïm Soutine
A painter of raw, visceral emotion, he transformed carcasses and portraits into swirling vortices of color that defined Parisian Expressionism.
1893–1943 (age 50)·French, Jewish Belarusian painter·Birthday: January 13·The Lost Generation
Biography
Chaïm Soutine painted 'Carcass of Beef' in 1925, a distorted still life that channels raw emotion through thick impasto. Born in a Lithuanian shtetl in 1893, he arrived in Paris poor and found friendship with Modigliani. He lived in La Ruche and worked obsessively, twisting subjects like a bellboy or a side of meat under his emotional gaze. Art dealer Leopold Zborowski supported him. In 1923, American collector Albert C. Barnes bought dozens of his paintings, lifting Soutine from obscurity to financial security but not calming his spirit. He hid from Nazi capture during World War II and died in 1943 from a perforated ulcer. His work bridges Old Master traditions and Abstract Expressionism.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Chaïm was born in 1893, placing them squarely in The Lost 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 Chaïm Was Born
The biggest hits of 1893
Chaïm's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1893Born
World's Columbian Exposition dazzles Chicago
President: Grover Cleveland
1898Started school
Spanish-American War; US emerges as a world power
President: William McKinley
1906Became a teenager
San Francisco earthquake devastates the city
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1909Could drive
Robert Peary claims to reach the North Pole
President: William Howard Taft
1911Could vote
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 in New York
President: William Howard Taft
1914Turned 21
World War I begins
President: Woodrow Wilson
1923Turned 30
The Great Kanto earthquake devastates Tokyo
President: Calvin Coolidge"Yes! We Have No Bananas" — Billy Jones
1933Turned 40
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1943Turned 50
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
Key Achievements
- Created the 'Carcass of Beef' series, inspired by Rembrandt, which became a landmark of Expressionist still life.
- His portrait series of service workers, like 'The Bellboy', redefined the genre with psychological intensity and physical distortion.
- Was a central figure of the School of Paris, influencing the development of European Expressionism.
- Gained major recognition and financial stability after American collector Albert C. Barnes purchased over 50 of his works in 1923.
Did You Know?
He was so poor early on that Modigliani once traded a portrait sketch for a meal at a restaurant for them both.
He allegedly kept a dead ox in his studio to paint from, causing neighbors to complain about the smell and summon the police.
Deeply superstitious, he avoided having his photograph taken and believed it could steal his soul.
During WWII, he was buried in a non-Jewish section of the Cimetière du Montparnasse under his partner's surname to hide his identity.
“I have tried to express with red the ringing of bells.”
