Two Reclining Dogs 1930 - 1940

Arnold Peter Weisz-Kubínčan painted these "Two Reclining Dogs" in oil paint on canvas at an unknown date. Weisz-Kubínčan was a Hungarian painter of Jewish descent, and in this piece, we see a glimpse into the intimate space he shared with his pets. This image is charged with social history, as Weisz-Kubínčan was murdered in Auschwitz in 1944. The seemingly innocuous subject matter gains a heavy weight when we understand the artist's fate. The dark and muted tones create a somber atmosphere, reflecting the historical context in which Weisz-Kubínčan lived and died. Was this painting made before the war? During? Did the artist have any sense of what was coming? Did the Nazis have a problem with people keeping pets? As art historians, it’s our job to delve into these questions, using resources like historical archives and biographical research to better understand the artwork. The meaning of art is always dependent on social and institutional context.