# Jacob Semiatin

Jacob Moses Semiatin (1915–2003) was an American landscape and abstract expressionist painter. His works from the 1930s and 1940s, were watercolors of countryside and industrial settings, while his later works were abstract. He also painted with acrylics and oils. His work and home life centered around New York City.

## Personal life

Jacob Semiatin was born on April 10, 1915 to Polish Jewish Parents Herman Semiatin (Semiatitzki) and Sarah Moidovnik in the Portobello region of Dublin, Ireland.$^{:3}$ He emigrated to America in 1920 aboard the Kaiserin Auguste Victoria, landing at Ellis Island. Both Jacob and his brother Lionel were artistic; Jacob being a visual artist and Lionel a musician and an award-winning composer.
Semiatin married Ludmila Rosanfeld in 1954. He lived in Manhattan from 1993 until his death. Semiatin died in New York City on August 28, 2003.

## Career

Semiatin's watercolors of the 1930s and 1940s depict scenes of urban and industrial life, as well as bucolic landscapes. John I.H. Baur, Curator of Painting at the Brooklyn Museum, encouraged Semiatin to exhibit his paintings in group shows at the museum, which he did on several occasions.$^{:8}$ Semiatin also became a member of the Brooklyn Society of Artists.
During World War II, Semiatin was a private in the army at Camp Upton in Yaphank, New York. While stationed in Arkansas, Semiatin painted many rural landscapes in the Blytheville and Amorel areas.$^{:8}$
Upon his return to New York City after the war, Semiatin began to paint landscapes and portraits in a more abstract style. These paintings were exhibited at Contemporary Arts Gallery at the end of December, 1957 to the first part of January, 1958. Jacob Semiatin's landscape painting technique was described in The Art Digest , in part, as “Vigorous jottings of the brush activate watercolors which aim at landscape abbreviations." John Ashbery of Art News declared, in part, that "Semiatin shows brisk, cheerful abstract watercolors in which a few strokes of blue and green suffice to give the feeling of a landscape."
In the late 1950s Semiatin immersed himself in the art movement of Abstract Expressionism.$^{:12}$ His paintings became completely abstract and nonobjective. Semiatin's one-man show of abstract watercolors at Galerie Internationale was reviewed by Stuart Preston of The New York Times in 1962, stating in part that, "Liveliness is all, but a word must be said both for ingratiating color and a knowing way with the medium." According to his obituary in The New York Times, "his works hang in museums and private collections around the world." For instance, the watercolor Street Scene in Blytheville (1942) is among the collection of the Historic Arkansas Museum in Little Rock, Arkansas.

## Collections

* Historic Arkansas Museum, Little Rock, Arkansas

## Exhibitions

* January 22 – February 7, 1943 — The 27th Annual Exhibition of the Brooklyn Society of Artists, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, New York
* April 29 to May 13, 1945 -- Army Arts Exhibition: Eighth Service Command, Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, Dallas, Texas
* February 1948 — The 32nd Annual Exhibition of the Brooklyn Society of Artists, Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, New York City, New York
* September 1952 — Open Watercolor Show, Village Art Center, Greenwich Village, New York
* December 27 to January 10, 1957/58 — Jacob Semiatin, solo exhibition, Contemporary Arts Gallery, New York City, New York.$^{:11}$
* April 1–14, 1962 — Jacob Semiatin, solo exhibition, Galerie Internationale, New York City, New York
* February 1 to 15, 1964 — Jacob Semiatin, solo exhibition, Galerie Internationale, New York City, New York.$^{:15–16}$
* October 15 to November 5, 1977 — Landscapes: Painters and Sculptors, Glass Galerie, New York City, New York
* May 30, 2013, Jacob Semiatin, Alzueta Gallery, Barcelona, Spain
* May 2 to May 31, 2013 -- Jacob Semiatin: Watercolors 1950-1962, Serge Castella Gallery, New York Design Center, New York City, New York
* September 8 to January 8, 2017/18 -- Hidden Treasures: Selected Gala Fund Purchases, Historic Arkansas Museum, Little Rock, Arkansas
* Ongoing 2021 — The Estate Collection, Rubine Red Gallery, Palm Springs, California
* Ongoing 2022 — The Estate Collection, Rubine Red Gallery, Palm Springs, California

## References,

* ↑ "Jacob Semiatin, white, 25, Brooklyn, New York", World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947, Brooklyn, Kings, New York, Record information: Jacob Semiatin, white, 25, Brooklyn, New York; date of birth April 10, 1915 in Dublin, Ireland; registered for the draft on October 16, 1940 at Brooklyn, Kings, New York; employed by Berlow, Shane & Company
* 1 2 3 4 5 6 Semiatin, Jacob (1991). My adventures in art. New York: J. Semiatin, John N. Jacobson & Son, Inc. OCLC 23902011.
* 1 2 "Jacob Semiatin, enlisted October 17, 1941, Camp Upton", World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946, Camp Upton, Yaphank, New York, United States, Record information: Jacob Semiatin, white, single, rank private, birth year is 1915, born in Irish Free State, citizen of the United States, lived in Kings, New York, 4 years of college, semiskilled occupations in fabrication of textile products, enlisted October 17, 1941, enlisted at Camp Upton, Yaphank, New York
* ↑ "Jacob Semiatin, age 5, travel aboard ship from Liverpool to New York City", Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957, New York, New York, Record information: Jacob Semiatin; age 5; Polish ethnicity; born about 1915 in Dublin, Ireland; last residence Dublin, Ireland; departed from Liverpool, England; arrived July 12, 1920 at New York, New York; to live permanently, person in old country S. Semiatin, uncle, London, England; Person in the U.S. Rabbi B. Rosen; ship name Kaiserin Augusta Victoria
* ↑ Search: Kaiserin Auguste Victoria, The Statue of Liberty - Ellis Island Foundation, Inc., retrieved 2022-02-27
* ↑ Spillane, Matt. "Lionel Semiatin, Jewish leader and composer, dies at 98". The Journal News. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
* ↑ "Jacob Semiattin, marriage license 1954, Ludmila Rosanfeld", New York, New York, U.S., Marriage License Indexes, 1907-2018, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA, Record information:Jacob Semiattin, marriage license 1954, Ludmila Rosanfeld; license number 15799; Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
* ↑ "Jacob Semiatin, 150 W 79th St, New York, New York, 10024-6431", U.S., Phone and Address Directories, 1993-2002, Record info: Jacob Semiatin; residence years 1993-2002; 150 W 79Th St, New York, New York, 10024-6431
* 1 2 "Jacob Semiatin, born 10 Apr 1915, died 28 Aug 2003", U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014, Record information: Jacob Semiatin, birth 10 Apr 1915; Social Security Card issued before 1951; last residence: 10024, New York, New York; death date 28 Aug 2003
* ↑ The Art Digest 1948-02-15: Vol 22 Iss 10. Arts Communications Group: L.P. 1948-02-15.
* ↑ "Brooklyn Museum". www.brooklynmuseum.org. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
* ↑ Catalogue of the Gallery of Art of the New York Historical Society. Printed for the Society. 1915. doi:10.5479/sil.178065.39088005990429.
* 1 2 Historic Arkansas Museum. "Beauty Blog: Part One". Division of Arkansas Heritage, Arkansas government. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
* ↑ Art News 1958-01: Vol 56 Iss 9. Brant Publications. January 1958. pp. 56, 59.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
* ↑ "Jacob Semiatin". The Art Digest. Vol. 32, no. 4. Arts Communications Group, L.P. January 1958. p. 61. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
* ↑ Art News 1958-01: Vol 56 Iss 9. Brant Publications. January 1958. p. 58.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
* ↑ "Art: Action Paintings of Manoucher Yektai Shown; Works of Two Women Artists Are Displayed Abstract Water-Colors by Semiatin on View Metaphysical Painters". The New York Times. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
* ↑ "Jacob Semiatin Obituary". The New York Times. September 16, 2003. Retrieved 2022-02-28 – via legacy.com.
* ↑ Bennett, Swannee; Carman, Jennifer; Worthen, William B. (2021-02-09). Arkansas Made, Volume 2: A Survey of the Decorative, Mechanical, and Fine Arts Produced in Arkansas Through 1950. University of Arkansas Press. p. 328. ISBN 978-1-68226-144-6.
* ↑ Bennett, Swannee; Carman, Jennifer; Worthen, William B. (2021-02-09). Arkansas Made, Volume 2: A Survey of the Decorative, Mechanical, and Fine Arts Produced in Arkansas Through 1950. University of Arkansas Press. ISBN 978-1-68226-144-6.
* ↑ "Beauty Blog: Part One". DAH Site. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
* ↑ "Arkansas Times - September 07, 2017 by Arkansas Times - Issuu". issuu.com. 6 September 2017. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
* ↑ "Brooklyn Society of Artists: Annual Exhibition [27th]". www.brooklynmuseum.org. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
* ↑ Arts, Dallas Museum of Fine (1945). "Army Arts Exhibition: Eighth Service Command". Army Arts Exhibition–8th Service Command, April 29–May 13, 1945, Dallas, Texas. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
* ↑ "The 32nd Annual Exhibition of the Brooklyn Society of Artists". The Art Digest. Vol. 22, no. 10. Arts Communications Group, L.P. 1948-02-15. p. 18.
* ↑ "Open Watercolor Show". The Art Digest. Vol. 26, no. 20. Arts Communications Group, L.P. 1952-09-15. p. 17.
* ↑ Art News 1958-01: Vol 56 Iss 9. Brant Publications. January 1958.
* ↑ "Jacob Semiatin". Arts Magazine. Vol. 36, no. 7. Arts Communications Group, L.P. April 1962. p. 28.
* ↑ "Art: Action Paintings of Manoucher Yektai Shown; Works of Two Women Artists Are Displayed Abstract Water-Colors by Semiatin on View Metaphysical Painters". The New York Times. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
* ↑ Arts Magazine 1964-02: Vol 38 Iss 5. Arts Communications Group, L.P. February 1964.
* ↑ "Landscapes". International Art Market. Vol. 17, no. 10. Art in America, Incorporated. October 1977. p. 206.
* ↑ ARTEINFORMADO (2014-06-03). "Jacob Semiatin, Exposición, may 2013". ARTEINFORMADO (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-03-19.
* ↑ Weekly™, High End (2013-04-23). "1stdibs and Serge Castella Gallery Presents Jacob Semiatin | High End Weekly™ by Vyna ST PHARD". www.highendweekly.com. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
* ↑ "Arkansas Times - September 07, 2017 by Arkansas Times - Issuu". issuu.com. 6 September 2017. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
* ↑ "Coachella Valley Arts News". California Desert Arts Council. December 2021. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
* ↑ Biller, Steven (2021-12-02). "Must-See Art Exhibitions, Experiences to See in Greater Palm Springs". Palm Springs Life. Retrieved 2022-02-27.