Moses Soyer was an American painter renowned for his contributions to the Social Realism movement. Born on December 25, 1899, in Borisoglebsk, Tambov, Russia, into a cultured Jewish family, Soyer was one of three brothers who would all become distinguished artists. His identical twin brother, Raphael, and younger brother, Isaac, shared his artistic inclinations and aspirations. The Soyer family faced the harsh realities of life under czarist Russia, which led them to emigrate to the United States in 1912. Settling in the Bronx, New York, the brothers were exposed to the vibrant cultural life of the city, which would greatly influence their artistic development. Despite the financial hardships that the family endured, Moses and Raphael managed to pursue their passion for art. At the age of 16, they began working various jobs to support their family while taking free art classes at institutions such as the Cooper Union and the National Academy of Design. Moses Soyer's artistic journey was further shaped by his encounters with influential figures in the art world. He met the Ashcan artist Robert Henri at the Ferrer Art School, whose raw and unfiltered depictions of city life left a lasting impression on him. Soyer also studied at the Educational Alliance, where he formed friendships with fellow artists Peter Blume and Chaim Gross. In 1923, he began teaching at the Educational Alliance, a role he would intermittently continue throughout his life. Soyer's talent was recognized early on, and in 1926, he won a travel scholarship from the Educational Alliance, which allowed him to spend a year in Europe. This experience broadened his artistic horizons and deepened his appreciation for the masters of European art. Upon his return, Soyer's career began to gain momentum. He had his first solo exhibition at J.B. Neumann's Art Circle Gallery in 1929 and continued to exhibit his work regularly thereafter. During the Great Depression, Soyer, like many artists of the time, participated in the Works Progress Administration (WPA) program. He created ten portable murals that addressed the life of children, which were installed in children's hospitals and libraries across New York. He also collaborated with his brother Raphael on a mural for the Kingsessing Station post office in Philadelphia. His work from this period often depicted the unemployed and homeless, capturing the struggles of the era with a compassionate and representational approach. Soyer's artistic style evolved over the years, but he remained committed to figurative painting. Inspired by Edgar Degas, one of his favorite artists, and influenced by his dancer-wife, Soyer began creating canvases of dancers rehearsing and at rest in the 1940s. These works were characterized by a gestural, loose brushstroke that conveyed the movement and emotion of his subjects. Soyer's models, whether they were dancers or studio nudes, were often portrayed in introspective and sometimes troubled moments. His portraits, which included many of his friends and acquaintances, were rendered with honesty and without unnecessary flattery. Throughout his career, Moses Soyer exhibited at major institutions such as the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Detroit Institute of Arts Museum. His work is held in the collections of prestigious museums, including the Smithsonian Institution, the Yale University Art Gallery, and the Honolulu Museum of Art. Soyer's legacy was further cemented with a posthumous retrospective at the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1985. Moses Soyer passed away on September 3, 1974, in New York City, at the age of 74. His life and work remain a testament to his belief in the power of art to capture the human condition. He once said, "Most of my paintings reflect an interest in the casual moments in the life of plain people, the gestures and natural attitudes they fall into when they perform habitual tasks, when they are in thought, and when they are not observed by other people." This philosophy guided his brush throughout his career, making him a poignant chronicler of the everyday lives of ordinary people.

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