01 Work, The art of War, Lama Sabachthani's Why have you forsaken me? with Footnotes

Lama Sabachthani

Why have you forsaken me? c. 1943

Oil on canvas

Height 1170 mm, Width 1530 mm

 Imperial War Museums 

A scene of mourning. A group of Jewish men, women and children weep and mourn over a mound of corpses. In the background are further large heaps of corpses and burning buildings. The mourning men wear prayer shawls and pillbox hats and carry Torah scrolls; the women wear headscarves or shawls over their hair.

Kestelman studied at the Royal College of Art and lived and worked in London. 'Lama Sabachthani' was painted at a time when news of the Nazi concentration and death camps was starting to filter through to British society. Although geographically distant, the impact was keenly felt in many quarters. The title is taken from the opening verse of Psalm 22: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer; and by night, but find no rest. The psalm continues with a complex dialogue that restates the omnipotence of God... More on this painting

Lama Sabachthani (often spelled Kestelman; 1905–1998), painter. Born in the East End of London, he became head of the Fine Art Department of the Central School of Art. He was influenced by his teacher Bernard *Meninsky, and also by Van Gogh and Gauguin. Two Anglo-Jewish artists also influenced his career, the painter and illustrator Barnett *Freedman and the print-maker Michael Rothenstein. He developed an interest in theater design and made a distinguished contribution in this field. He became a member, and secretary, of the London Group, was later vice chairman of the United Kingdom branch of the International Association of Art, and was a fellow of the Royal Academy. His mature work was influenced by Matisse, Braque, and Picasso, and his emotional character was thus tempered by controlled and elegant design; the English critic Bryan Robertson once remarked, "Kestleman cannot be judged as an English painter; he is a Continental artist who happens to reside here." He belonged to the "second generation" of Anglo-Jewish artists, following the major figures of David *Bomberg, Mark *Gertler, etc. His daughter Sarah Kestelman is a well-known actress, painter, and poet in London. More on Lama Sabachthani

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