#15 — Auburn

COMPOSED BY THEODORE HABER & PREMIERED BY CLARINETIST MAX OPFERKUCH, INSPIRED BY SALA FROST'S PAINTING “THE CHESTNUT VENDOR.”

“Growing up, I saw and admired this painting daily, as it hung prominently in my parents' living room.  Born in 1897, the artist, Sala Frost, studied painting in Vienna in the nineteen-teens.  She was my grandmother.  Sadly, Sala died young -- well before any of her grandchildren were born. This painting has always made me feel wistful about not having known her. 

In wintertime, chestnut roasters set up stands and peddled their warm edibles on the streets of Vienna.  The vendor's ragged clothing and the hot coals within the metal roasting bins were the only sources of protection against the frigid air.  To me, this painting always revealed deep empathy on the part of the artist.  The dark hues, the visibly cold vendor, the frayed posters on the background wall, the sad facial features, and the tattered coat all contribute to a profoundly sad scene.  One can almost feel the poverty and loneliness of the figure within it.  And, rather than using a canvas as she did for other works, Sala painted this work on a wooden artist's palette.  Surely this was an intentional choice on her part; might she have done so as yet another means to convey an atmosphere of poverty? 

I don't know the exact year in which this painting was created, but likely more than 100 years later, this painting moves me and others who have had the opportunity to view it.  It provides a small window not just into the challenging life of a street peddler but also into the heart of the woman who rendered him in oils.”

–Sharona Barzilay

EXTENDED CONVERSATION

Join us for an extended conversation with Max Opferkuch and Theodore Haber regarding their virtual collaboration for the "Stay-at-Home Symposium." Moderated by Artistic Director Audrey Vardanega, Max and Theodore discuss their artistic backgrounds and their collaborative process.