Elazar Kalman Tiefenbrun has done it again! The portrait he painted of the Lubavitcher Rebbe on the occasion of his 89th birthday, has made a profound impression!
The well known grey bearded Hasidic painter specializes in portraits of rabbinic personalities.
He has painted renowned Roshei Yeshiva and prominent rabbis and Hasidic leaders of the past and present, especially the Rebbe of Lubavitch of whom he is a devout Hasid.
In his portraits he has endeavored to depict, not only the physiognomy of his subjects, but also to bring out their spiritual and moral stature. He has also sought to communicate to the viewer something of his own reverence and feelings for Gedolei Yisrael.
His portraits have been exceedingly well received. They are found in Jewish homes and institutions in many countries and have been reproduced in Jewish newspapers and periodicals.
His pictures are not solely for decor. They are meant to serve as reminders of the ideals and moral excellence, the portrayed personalities represent.
Tiefenbrun, who is a descendant of Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk, was born and raised in London. During Israel’s War of Independence he served as a volunteer in the Israel Defense Force. For the last 35 years he has been the director of the Chinuch Atzmai Organization in Great Britain.
He started painting rabbinical personalities and scenes of religous Jewish life about the time he began working for Chinuch Atzmai.
I have known Tiefenburn for many years and have followed with great interest his artistic prorgess and accomplishments. During a recent visit to London, I spent some time in his studio having a closer look at his portraits of the Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Yehezkel Landau, Rabbi Akiva Eger, HatamSofer, Ktav Sofer, Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin, Rabbi Hayyim of Brisk, Hafetz Hayyim, Gerrer Rebbe (“Imrei Emet”), Hazon Ish, Rabbi MosheFeinstein, the Steipeler, the Lubavtich Rebbe shlita and many others.
Tiefenbrun’s creations are indeed extraordianry. Looking at this impressive life-size portraits, you feel as if you were in the presence of these great and holy men.
I was told that the late Rabbi Koppel Kahana, who was a student of the Hafetz Hayyim, was so overwhelmed by Tiefenbrun’s portrayal of his master that he kissed the picture.
(May I add a word for those who have not heard of Rabbi Koppel Kahana: A great Talmudist, he served as rabbi in Poland. Before World War II, he went to England.He studied law at Cambridge and later was a lecturer at London’s Jews College. He wrote on Jewish, Roman and English law. I met him in the 1940s in the home of the late Rabbi Abba Bornstein in London. He demonstrated his spectacular Talmudic erudition by “means of a needle.” You stuck a needle into a page of the Talmud (we had tractate Kethubbot in front of us) and when informed of the last of the pages through which the needle had penetrated, Rabbi Kahana would tell you the word on that page, that the needle had touched.)
The Rebbe of Lubavitch, who has encouraged artists and poets to devote their talents to the advancement of Yiddishkeit, praised Tiefenbrun on several occasions for his great ability to present Yahadut through art. Once he declared that Teifenburn’s success would manifest itself “by being good for him and good for those who acquire his pictures.”
Tiefenbrun has interpreted the Rebbe’s words to mean that the work involved in the portrayal of rabbinic leaders – the study of their lives and bearing and the hours long concentration, during the actual painting of the rabbis’ facial expressions – was enormously rewarding, spiritually for the artist. As for those who acquired his pictures — the portraits of Gedolei Yisrael would be sources of inspiration and would help create a better spiritual and moral atmosphere in their homes.
Tiefenbrun has been told many a story about the beneficial influence of his portraits.
“The picture of Rav Hirsch, Z”L has become a part of us, and we cherish it more each Shabbat,” a descendant of Rabbi S.R. Hirsch wrote to the artist.
A woman who acquired a picture of the Lubavitcher Rebbe told Tiefenbrun that, at first they put the portrait into the room where their televison was kept. Then they realized that the picture of the Rebbe and the TV don’t go well together. They removed the TV to another room. But this was not yet the end of the story. Some time later, the artist met the husband, a Los Angeles physician.
“We got rid of the TV altogether,” he told Tiefenbrun. “A picture of the Rebbe and a TV do not belong in the same house.”
A few weeks ago, Tiefenbrun came for a short visit to New York. He brought with him several new paintings, which have been greatly admired by all who saw them. An out-of-town man was so delighted with the picture he acquired from Tiefenbrun that he made, the following Shabbat, a Mi Sheberach for the artist and is now preparing a grand Kiddush to celebrate the acquisition.
Can an artist hope for more?