The Sleeping Model

Born in the Kaunas suburb of Panemunė into a Jewish family, Nikol Schattenstein (1877–1954) first learned the basics of drawing in Vilnius, before studying at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts under August Eisenmenger and Kazimierz Pochwalski. He became a renowned academic portraitist, with his artistic merit being recognised by the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph I. Schattenstein represented Austria at the international Venice Biennale in 1905, 1907 and 1912. Although his academic style was praised in some circles, it faced criticism from the Viennese avant-garde, as its popularity was already fading in Europe. However, it continued to be popular in the United States. After the First World War, Schattenstein emigrated to America, where he pursued his career as a portraitist, gaining a reputation for painting the elite of American society, including wealthy industrialists, actresses and art collectors.

Text author Laura Petrauskaitė

The woman, kosher and emancipation. The first woman, and Adam’s first wife, was Lilith, whom God created from Adam’s rib (in the Christian translation she is simply called the Woman, Genesis 2, 21–23). Lilith considered herself equal to man, but Adam did not agree with this, and Lilith left the Garden of Eden. God sent three angels to bring her back, but she refused to return until her husband recognised her as an equal. God then created Eve, an obedient wife for Adam, and Lilith was punished. She became a winged demon with long hair, terrorising women in labour and newborn babies, seducing and preying on men in their erotic dreams.

Since Ancient times, all religious Jews have followed kosher rules (in Yiddish kosher, in Hebrew kasher, kashrut, ‘proper, correct’) that cover all areas of life and regulate the performance of rituals, diet, clothing, hygiene and other daily requirements. One of the biggest sins is nudity, so women must wear modest clothes and shoes, and married women must hide their hair under hats or wigs, because they must not tempt other men. For centuries, Lilith was the epitome of the ‘non-kosher’ wife, but today she has become a symbol of women’s emancipation and equality. This is how Lilith was depicted by Nikol Schattenstein, Emmanuel Mané-Katz, Jacques Lipchitz and Samuel Tepler. Images of female nudes challenge the traditional view of women, and symbolise the opposition of the artists to the dogmas of Judaism.

Text author Vilma Gradinskaitė

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album STORIES OF LITVAK ART (2023). Compiler and author Vilma Gradinskaitė, ARTISTS ON THE MOVE (2025). Compiler and text author Laura Petrauskaitė

Born in the Kaunas suburb of Panemunė into a Jewish family, Nikol Schattenstein (1877–1954) first learned the basics of drawing in Vilnius, before studying at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts under August Eisenmenger and Kazimierz Pochwalski. He became a renowned academic portraitist, with his artistic merit being recognised by the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph I. Schattenstein represented Austria at the international Venice Biennale in 1905, 1907 and 1912. Although his academic style was praised in some circles, it faced criticism from the Viennese avant-garde, as its popularity was already fading in Europe. However, it continued to be popular in the United States. After the First World War, Schattenstein emigrated to America, where he pursued his career as a portraitist, gaining a reputation for painting the elite of American society, including wealthy industrialists, actresses and art collectors.

Text author Laura Petrauskaitė

The woman, kosher and emancipation. The first woman, and Adam’s first wife, was Lilith, whom God created from Adam’s rib (in the Christian translation she is simply called the Woman, Genesis 2, 21–23). Lilith considered herself equal to man, but Adam did not agree with this, and Lilith left the Garden of Eden. God sent three angels to bring her back, but she refused to return until her husband recognised her as an equal. God then created Eve, an obedient wife for Adam, and Lilith was punished. She became a winged demon with long hair, terrorising women in labour and newborn babies, seducing and preying on men in their erotic dreams.

Since Ancient times, all religious Jews have followed kosher rules (in Yiddish kosher, in Hebrew kasher, kashrut, ‘proper, correct’) that cover all areas of life and regulate the performance of rituals, diet, clothing, hygiene and other daily requirements. One of the biggest sins is nudity, so women must wear modest clothes and shoes, and married women must hide their hair under hats or wigs, because they must not tempt other men. For centuries, Lilith was the epitome of the ‘non-kosher’ wife, but today she has become a symbol of women’s emancipation and equality. This is how Lilith was depicted by Nikol Schattenstein, Emmanuel Mané-Katz, Jacques Lipchitz and Samuel Tepler. Images of female nudes challenge the traditional view of women, and symbolise the opposition of the artists to the dogmas of Judaism.

Text author Vilma Gradinskaitė

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album STORIES OF LITVAK ART (2023). Compiler and author Vilma Gradinskaitė, ARTISTS ON THE MOVE (2025). Compiler and text author Laura Petrauskaitė