Josef Herman RA

(1911-2000)

Josef Herman was a Polish-born British painter, draughtsman, and printmaker, best known for his powerful depictions of working people, particularly miners and rural labourers. After settling in Britain during the Second World War, he became associated with post-war social realism, developing a distinctive visual language characterised by simplified forms, strong outlines, and a restrained, earthy palette. Herman’s work was deeply informed by humanist concerns and by the communities he encountered, especially during his years living in the Welsh mining village of Ystradgynlais. His figures often possess a monumental stillness, reflecting dignity, endurance, and collective experience rather than individual portraiture. Alongside painting and drawing, Herman produced a significant body of prints, including lithographs created at Curwen Studio with Stanley Jones. These works translated the bold structural qualities of his paintings into graphic form, using rich tonal contrasts and expressive line to reinforce the physical presence of his subjects. His collaboration with Curwen formed an important part of his later printmaking practice and contributed to the wider development of post-war British lithography.