Ben Shahn

Ben Shahn was a Lithuanianborn American artist. He is best known for his works of social realism, his leftwing political views, and his series of lectures published as The Shape of Content.

Shahn was born in Kovno , Lithuania, then occupied by the Russian Empire, to Jewish parents Joshua Hessel and Gittel Shahn. His father was exiled to Siberia for possible revolutionary activities in 1902, at which point Shahn, his mother, and two younger siblings moved to Vilkomir . In 1906, the family immigrated to the United States where they rejoined Hessel, who had fled Siberia. They settled in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York, where two more siblings were born. His younger brother drowned at age 17. Shahn began his path to becoming an artist in New York, where he was first trained as a lithographer. Shahns early experiences with lithography and graphic design is apparent in his later prints and paintings which often include the combination of text and image. Shahns primary medium was egg tempera, popular among social realists.

Source: Wikipedia