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Kirshenblatt, Mayer (1916-2009)
Butcher leading calf, 199?
Acrylic on canvas
24 x 36 in.?
Artist's
narrative:
"As far as meat was concerned, it is written, 'Do not
remove the calf from its mother for seven days.' Every
farmer had his favorite butcher. Periodically, the
butcher would talk with the farmer when he came into
town for the market or, the butcher himself or cattle
dealers would go around the countryside by horse and
wagon to solicit business. A farmer would have one or
two cows. The butcher would inquire as to the welfare of
the pregnant cow. How is the cow doing? When is it
expecting? As soon as the cow dropped the calf, the
farmer would notify the butcher, 'Gimpl, the calf is
here.' The farmer wanted to get rid of the calf as soon
as possible so as to be able to start milking the
mother. The calf at seven days would not be too steady
on its feet. It couldn't walk very fast. Besides, if the
calf had to walk six or seven kilometers, it would lose
weight. The solution was for the butcher to carry the
calf, at least part of the way. The calf weighed about
fifty or sixty pounds, so the butcher would carry him on
his back. Sometimes the farmer would fill the calf with
water to make it weigh more. Out of fear, the calf would
urinate and wet the butcher.
Here is the farmhouse with a little barn. You rarely see such huts in Poland anymore. They were very cool inside during the hottest days in summer. The outside was clay, the roofs were made of a thick straw thatch, and the windows were small. The thick walls provided excellent insulation. You can see Gimpl taking the calf away. But rather than carrying it, this time he inserts his finger into the calf’s mouth. The calf thinks his finger is a tit and it follows Gimpl home. The poor cow. Look at how sad she is saying goodbye to the calf. In this picture, there is a well and storks. The storks would come back to the same nest year after year. The farmers considered them good luck. We did not have many storks in our neighborhood. They need wetlands, lakes, or rivers."
Mayer talks about the
butcher and his activities in Apt (Opatów).
Listen to it.