{"object":[{"sourceId":{"label":"Source ID","value":"2478"},"altNumsArchivespace":{"label":"ArchiveSpace","value":"P4.1998.24"},"creditline":{"label":"Credit Line","value":"Gift of David L. Davies"},"endDate":{"label":"End Date","value":"1971"},"sortNumber":{"label":"Sort Number","value":"2008     4   15"},"invno":{"label":"Accession number","value":"2008.4.15"},"description":{"label":"Description","value":""},"medium":{"label":"Medium","value":"Oil on canvas"},"geographyPlaceregion":{"label":"Place/Region","value":"Great Neck"},"media":{"label":"Media","value":{"mediaURL":"https://collection.folkartmuseum.org/internal/media/dispatcher/4017/full","mediaDepartment":"Object Photographs","mediaType":"Image","mediaId":"4017"}},"title":{"label":"Title","value":"Two Dreamers"},"geographyCity":{"value":"Great Neck"},"textEntriesWebsitedisplaytext":{"value":["PAINTING","Harry Lieberman was born in the small Polish shtetl, or Jewish village, of Gniewoszów, in the area of Eastern Europe known as the Pale of Settlement. He was raised according to the tenets of Hasidism, a populist-based, ecstatic practice of Judaism founded in the eighteenth century by the religious leader known as the Baal Shem Tov. In 1906 Lieberman immigrated to the United States, one of the many thousands of Jews fleeing the hardships and violence of Jewish life in Russian Poland. In New York City he adopted a largely secular lifestyle, working first in the textile trades and then operating a candy store on the Lower East Side with his wife, Sophie, until they retired in 1950. In 1956 Lieberman started to paint vivid and dynamic narratives drawn primarily from Jewish history, religion, lore, and literature, although some works express his views on contemporary issues. The artist wrote texts in Yiddish and attached them to the backs of his paintings.In this painting, which portrays a Hasid and a secular Jew, Lieberman reflected on the path he followed in America. On the one hand, he found his \u201cparadise\u201d in the successful life he made for himself and his family and created his \u201chereafter\u201d through the legacy of paintings he completed before his death at the age of 103. A close reading of this painting, on the other hand, reveals the artist\u2019s ambivalence: the area around the secular philosopher is sere and bare of any leaves; the flower growing behind him is the only indication of a fruitful life. The Hasid, however, is surrounded by green, fertile, flowering trees and grass, and is watched by angels. As Lieberman inscribed on the back of this piece, \u201cYou got to have both in yourself, philosopher and dreamer.\u201dStacy C. Hollander, \"Two Dreamers,\" in American Anthem: Masterworks from the American Folk Art Museum (New York: Harry N. Abrams in association with American Folk Art Museum, 2001), 384.Object information is a work in progress and may be updated with new research. Records are reviewed and revised, and the American Folk Art Museum welcomes additional information.　To help improve this record, please email photoservices@folkartmuseum.org","Harry Lieberman was born in Gniewoszów, a small shtetl, or Jewish village, in Eastern Europe. He was raised according to the tenets of Hasidism, a populist-based, ecstatic practice of Judaism founded in the eighteenth century by the religious leader known as the Baal Shem Tov. In 1906 Lieberman immigrated to New York, working first in the textile trades and then operating a candy store on the Lower East Side of New York with his wife until they retired, in 1950. In 1956 Lieberman started to paint vivid and dynamic narratives drawn primarily from Jewish history, religion, lore, and literature. The artist wrote texts in Yiddish and attached them to the backs of his paintings: this piece is inscribed \u201cYou got to have both in yourself, philosopher and dreamer.\u201d The painting suggests the struggle faced by many immigrants as they navigate between the ways of the old world and the new. Lieberman found his \u201cparadise\u201d in the successful secular life he made for himself and his family and created his \u201chereafter\u201d through the legacy of paintings he completed before his death, at the age of 103. But the fullness of life, the dream, is achieved when heaven and earth are both embraced.","This painting shows two ideas of what is heaven. One dreamer is Ben Eliezer. He founded the Hasidic idea. The other is a philosopher, not religious. The philosopher doesn\u2019t believe there is a heaven up there, so he wants to bring it down to earth where the people are. In plain words, you got to make life so that the paradise is here. Ben Eliezer, he wanted to bring mankind up to heaven and give his people this hope when they were in misery. \"Don\u2019t worry,\" he said, \"this is only a passing way, only temporary. The main idea is afterward, the hereafter. Up there you will have meat, bread, wine. If you have faith, then everything is right.\" You got to have both in yourself, philosopher and dreamer. Use your will to improve your life here, and keep up your home. This is how heaven helps you. \u2014Harry Lieberman Harry Lieberman was born in the small Polish shtetl of Gniewoszów. He was raised according to the tenets of Hasidism, a populist-based, ecstatic practice of Judaism founded in the eighteenth century by the religious leader known as the Baal Shem Tov. In 1906, Lieberman immigrated to the United States, one of the many thousands of Jews fleeing the hardships and violence of Jewish life in Russian Poland. In New York City, he adopted a largely secular lifestyle, working first in the textile trades and then operating a candy store on the Lower East Side with his wife, Sophie, until they retired in 1950. In 1956, Lieberman traveled to Israel for the first time. Early one morning, he went to King David\u2019s tomb, where he opened the Book of Psalms at random to Psalm 130: \"From the depths I called you Oh Lord.\" Lieberman found the words revelatory, and he was inspired to return to the Orthodox life that he had shed soon after his arrival in America. Coincidentally, this was also the year that he began to paint, at the age of seventy-six, encouraged by a worker at the Golden Age Club of the Senior Citizen Center in Great Neck, New York. Many of the early works were autobiographical, and today they provide insights into Lieberman\u2019s personal history but also into the shtetl life that was destroyed during World War II. As time went on, Lieberman was increasingly drawn to his own rich Jewish heritage to provide the texts of brilliantly colored narrative paintings, ceramic sculptures, and drawings. The artist wrote the texts in Yiddish and attached them to the backs of his paintings. In Two Dreamers, which portrays a Hasid and a secular Jew, Lieberman reflected on the path that he followed in America. On the one hand, he found his \"paradise\" in the successful life that he made for himself and his family, and created his \"hereafter\" through the legacy of paintings that he completed before his death at the age of 103. A close reading of this painting, on the other hand, reveals the artist\u2019s ambivalence: The area around the secular philosopher is sere and bare of any leaves, and the flower growing behind him is the only indication of a fruitful life. The Hasid, however, is surrounded by green, fertile, flowering trees and grass and watched by angels. In Lieberman\u2019s words, \"You got to have both in yourself, philosopher and dreamer.\" Stacy C. Hollander, \"Two Dreamers, c. 1966\" exhibition copy for American Perspectives: Stories from the American Folk Art Museum Collection. Stacy C. Hollander, curator. New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2020. Object information is a work in progress and may be updated with new research. Records are reviewed and revised, and the American Folk Art Museum welcomes additional information.　To help improve this record, please email photoservices@folkartmuseum.org"]},"collections":{"label":"Collections","value":"Paintings"},"geography":{"label":"Geography","value":"Great Neck"},"id":{"label":"Id","value":"153898"},"geographyState":{"value":"New York"},"geographyCountry":{"value":"United States"},"onview":{"label":"On View","value":"0"},"people":{"label":"Artist / Maker","value":{"displayOrder":"1","personRole":"Artist","personID":"461","content":"Harry Lieberman"}},"classifications":{"label":"Classification(s)","value":"Paintings"},"textEntries":{"label":"Text Entries","value":["PAINTING","Harry Lieberman was born in the small Polish shtetl, or Jewish village, of Gniewoszów, in the area of Eastern Europe known as the Pale of Settlement. He was raised according to the tenets of Hasidism, a populist-based, ecstatic practice of Judaism founded in the eighteenth century by the religious leader known as the Baal Shem Tov. In 1906 Lieberman immigrated to the United States, one of the many thousands of Jews fleeing the hardships and violence of Jewish life in Russian Poland. In New York City he adopted a largely secular lifestyle, working first in the textile trades and then operating a candy store on the Lower East Side with his wife, Sophie, until they retired in 1950. In 1956 Lieberman started to paint vivid and dynamic narratives drawn primarily from Jewish history, religion, lore, and literature, although some works express his views on contemporary issues. The artist wrote texts in Yiddish and attached them to the backs of his paintings.In this painting, which portrays a Hasid and a secular Jew, Lieberman reflected on the path he followed in America. On the one hand, he found his \u201cparadise\u201d in the successful life he made for himself and his family and created his \u201chereafter\u201d through the legacy of paintings he completed before his death at the age of 103. A close reading of this painting, on the other hand, reveals the artist\u2019s ambivalence: the area around the secular philosopher is sere and bare of any leaves; the flower growing behind him is the only indication of a fruitful life. The Hasid, however, is surrounded by green, fertile, flowering trees and grass, and is watched by angels. As Lieberman inscribed on the back of this piece, \u201cYou got to have both in yourself, philosopher and dreamer.\u201dStacy C. Hollander, \"Two Dreamers,\" in American Anthem: Masterworks from the American Folk Art Museum (New York: Harry N. Abrams in association with American Folk Art Museum, 2001), 384.Object information is a work in progress and may be updated with new research. Records are reviewed and revised, and the American Folk Art Museum welcomes additional information.　To help improve this record, please email photoservices@folkartmuseum.org","Harry Lieberman was born in Gniewoszów, a small shtetl, or Jewish village, in Eastern Europe. He was raised according to the tenets of Hasidism, a populist-based, ecstatic practice of Judaism founded in the eighteenth century by the religious leader known as the Baal Shem Tov. In 1906 Lieberman immigrated to New York, working first in the textile trades and then operating a candy store on the Lower East Side of New York with his wife until they retired, in 1950. In 1956 Lieberman started to paint vivid and dynamic narratives drawn primarily from Jewish history, religion, lore, and literature. The artist wrote texts in Yiddish and attached them to the backs of his paintings: this piece is inscribed \u201cYou got to have both in yourself, philosopher and dreamer.\u201d The painting suggests the struggle faced by many immigrants as they navigate between the ways of the old world and the new. Lieberman found his \u201cparadise\u201d in the successful secular life he made for himself and his family and created his \u201chereafter\u201d through the legacy of paintings he completed before his death, at the age of 103. But the fullness of life, the dream, is achieved when heaven and earth are both embraced.","This painting shows two ideas of what is heaven. One dreamer is Ben Eliezer. He founded the Hasidic idea. The other is a philosopher, not religious. The philosopher doesn\u2019t believe there is a heaven up there, so he wants to bring it down to earth where the people are. In plain words, you got to make life so that the paradise is here. Ben Eliezer, he wanted to bring mankind up to heaven and give his people this hope when they were in misery. \"Don\u2019t worry,\" he said, \"this is only a passing way, only temporary. The main idea is afterward, the hereafter. Up there you will have meat, bread, wine. If you have faith, then everything is right.\" You got to have both in yourself, philosopher and dreamer. Use your will to improve your life here, and keep up your home. This is how heaven helps you. \u2014Harry Lieberman Harry Lieberman was born in the small Polish shtetl of Gniewoszów. He was raised according to the tenets of Hasidism, a populist-based, ecstatic practice of Judaism founded in the eighteenth century by the religious leader known as the Baal Shem Tov. In 1906, Lieberman immigrated to the United States, one of the many thousands of Jews fleeing the hardships and violence of Jewish life in Russian Poland. In New York City, he adopted a largely secular lifestyle, working first in the textile trades and then operating a candy store on the Lower East Side with his wife, Sophie, until they retired in 1950. In 1956, Lieberman traveled to Israel for the first time. Early one morning, he went to King David\u2019s tomb, where he opened the Book of Psalms at random to Psalm 130: \"From the depths I called you Oh Lord.\" Lieberman found the words revelatory, and he was inspired to return to the Orthodox life that he had shed soon after his arrival in America. Coincidentally, this was also the year that he began to paint, at the age of seventy-six, encouraged by a worker at the Golden Age Club of the Senior Citizen Center in Great Neck, New York. Many of the early works were autobiographical, and today they provide insights into Lieberman\u2019s personal history but also into the shtetl life that was destroyed during World War II. As time went on, Lieberman was increasingly drawn to his own rich Jewish heritage to provide the texts of brilliantly colored narrative paintings, ceramic sculptures, and drawings. The artist wrote the texts in Yiddish and attached them to the backs of his paintings. In Two Dreamers, which portrays a Hasid and a secular Jew, Lieberman reflected on the path that he followed in America. On the one hand, he found his \"paradise\" in the successful life that he made for himself and his family, and created his \"hereafter\" through the legacy of paintings that he completed before his death at the age of 103. A close reading of this painting, on the other hand, reveals the artist\u2019s ambivalence: The area around the secular philosopher is sere and bare of any leaves, and the flower growing behind him is the only indication of a fruitful life. The Hasid, however, is surrounded by green, fertile, flowering trees and grass and watched by angels. In Lieberman\u2019s words, \"You got to have both in yourself, philosopher and dreamer.\" Stacy C. Hollander, \"Two Dreamers, c. 1966\" exhibition copy for American Perspectives: Stories from the American Folk Art Museum Collection. Stacy C. Hollander, curator. New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2020. Object information is a work in progress and may be updated with new research. Records are reviewed and revised, and the American Folk Art Museum welcomes additional information.　To help improve this record, please email photoservices@folkartmuseum.org"]},"beginDate":{"label":"Begin Date","value":"1961"},"displayDate":{"label":"Date","value":"c. 1966"},"exhibitions":{"label":"Exhibitions","value":[{"exhibitionDisplayDate":"Tuesday, September 1, 2009 - Sunday, August 15, 2010","exhibitionEndISODate":"2010-08-15","exhibitionID":"188","exhibitionISOBeginDate":"2009-09-01","exhibitionBeginDate":"2009","exhibitionTitle":"Perspectives: Setting the Scene in American Folk Art","exhibitionEndDate":"2010"},{"exhibitionDisplayDate":"Thursday, July 11, 2002 - Sunday, January 5, 2003","exhibitionEndISODate":"2003-01-26","exhibitionID":"73","exhibitionISOBeginDate":"2002-07-11","exhibitionBeginDate":"2002","exhibitionTitle":"American Anthem","exhibitionEndDate":"2003"},{"exhibitionDisplayDate":"Tuesday, February 11, 2020 - Sunday, January 3, 2021","exhibitionEndISODate":"2021-01-03","exhibitionID":"239","exhibitionISOBeginDate":"2020-02-11","exhibitionBeginDate":"2020","exhibitionTitle":"American Perspectives","exhibitionEndDate":"2021"},{"exhibitionDisplayDate":"Saturday, May 22, 2021 - Sunday, October 8, 2023","exhibitionEndISODate":"2023-10-08","exhibitionID":"245","exhibitionISOBeginDate":"2021-05-22","exhibitionBeginDate":"2021","exhibitionTitle":"American Perspectives (Travel)","exhibitionEndDate":"2023"},{"exhibitionDisplayDate":"Tuesday, January 17, 2012 - Sunday, September 2, 2012","exhibitionEndISODate":"2012-09-02","exhibitionID":"149","exhibitionISOBeginDate":"2012-01-17","exhibitionBeginDate":"2012","exhibitionTitle":"JUBILATION an act of rejoicing | RUMINATION an act of contemplation","exhibitionEndDate":"2012"}]},"altNums":{"label":"Alternative Numbers","value":"P4.1998.24"},"dimensions":{"label":"Dimensions","value":"24 × 30\""}}]}