JOEL RESNICOFF
October 23, 1948-December 28, 1986
October 23, 1948-December 28, 1986
| Page under construction, in honor and memory of my brother, Joel Hirsch Resnicoff If friends have photos or comments to contribute, please email them to me (Rabbi Arnold E. Resnicoff), at resnicoff@aol.com |
Joel was the middle brother, 2 years younger than Arnold and 4 years older than
Steven. He, like his brothers, was born in the Columbia Hospital for Women, in
Washington, DC. When he was only 2 months old, the family moved from SE
Washington to Hyattsville, MD -- the suburb of Lewisdale -- where he would grow up,
first attending Lewisdale Elementary, then Mt. Rainier Jr. High, and then Northwestern
High School, Class of '66. He studied for one year at the University of Miami, in Florida,
then at Parsons School of Design in NYC for two years. He worked first as a fashion
illustrator for Women's Wear Daily for seven years, later branching out with a career that
included water colors, oils, and paintings--including commercial paintings and displays
for stores like Macy's and Bloomingdales; "ResniCards" -- a series of greeting cards,
often poking fun at NY City and its people; the 1986 summer season of clothing,
including shirts and scarves, for Esprit, plus various t-shirts, sweat shirts, and even beach
towels, for a number of companies--and his own NY shop; a series of mannequins,
unlike any others(!), for Discoveries, Inc.; and even some eye-catching billboards in
Scandanavia. Two Japanese books that listed "avant garde" artists in America included
Joel -- as the only artist listed in both books.
Joel's life was always touched by hope -- and fun-- because he loved life and loved his
friends; he loved Manhattan --his adopted city; and he loved and treasured his ability to
use colors and form to create art that reflected his unique way of looking at the world...
But his life was also marred by tragedy and pain. At his Bar Mitzvah, in 1961, a tragic
car accident took the life of his uncle and permanently injured his aunt, who lost her
hand. In 1984, when countless opportunities were opening in terms of his career, he was
diagnosed as HIV+, and began a valiant two year struggle against the diseases that his
body could no longer fight, while AIDS was still a relatively unknown condition. He tried
everything, even moving to Hawaii for awhile, because friends thought that "clean air and
clean water" could help. When he returned, frail and physically weak, he moved back to
his old room in Lewisdale, to live with is mother, Blanche, for his final six months -- and
she lived 24 hours a day in his hospital room for the last three weeks of his life.
On December 28, 1986, Joel died in the Washington Adventist Hospital, in Takoma
Park, Maryland. He was buried Dec 30 in his mother's family plot, in Mount Ararat
Cemetery, in New York, alongside his Uncle Sol, who died the day of Joel's Bar
Mitzvah.
May he rest in peace. May his memory -- the memory of his smile, his conversation, his
ironic observations about our world and its people -- and his art, which we, thankfully,
still have with us -- continue to be a blessing to the living.
CLICK HERE FOR WILIKPEDIA ARTICLE
NEW -
Click here for Japanese Facebook Page!
Steven. He, like his brothers, was born in the Columbia Hospital for Women, in
Washington, DC. When he was only 2 months old, the family moved from SE
Washington to Hyattsville, MD -- the suburb of Lewisdale -- where he would grow up,
first attending Lewisdale Elementary, then Mt. Rainier Jr. High, and then Northwestern
High School, Class of '66. He studied for one year at the University of Miami, in Florida,
then at Parsons School of Design in NYC for two years. He worked first as a fashion
illustrator for Women's Wear Daily for seven years, later branching out with a career that
included water colors, oils, and paintings--including commercial paintings and displays
for stores like Macy's and Bloomingdales; "ResniCards" -- a series of greeting cards,
often poking fun at NY City and its people; the 1986 summer season of clothing,
including shirts and scarves, for Esprit, plus various t-shirts, sweat shirts, and even beach
towels, for a number of companies--and his own NY shop; a series of mannequins,
unlike any others(!), for Discoveries, Inc.; and even some eye-catching billboards in
Scandanavia. Two Japanese books that listed "avant garde" artists in America included
Joel -- as the only artist listed in both books.
Joel's life was always touched by hope -- and fun-- because he loved life and loved his
friends; he loved Manhattan --his adopted city; and he loved and treasured his ability to
use colors and form to create art that reflected his unique way of looking at the world...
But his life was also marred by tragedy and pain. At his Bar Mitzvah, in 1961, a tragic
car accident took the life of his uncle and permanently injured his aunt, who lost her
hand. In 1984, when countless opportunities were opening in terms of his career, he was
diagnosed as HIV+, and began a valiant two year struggle against the diseases that his
body could no longer fight, while AIDS was still a relatively unknown condition. He tried
everything, even moving to Hawaii for awhile, because friends thought that "clean air and
clean water" could help. When he returned, frail and physically weak, he moved back to
his old room in Lewisdale, to live with is mother, Blanche, for his final six months -- and
she lived 24 hours a day in his hospital room for the last three weeks of his life.
On December 28, 1986, Joel died in the Washington Adventist Hospital, in Takoma
Park, Maryland. He was buried Dec 30 in his mother's family plot, in Mount Ararat
Cemetery, in New York, alongside his Uncle Sol, who died the day of Joel's Bar
Mitzvah.
May he rest in peace. May his memory -- the memory of his smile, his conversation, his
ironic observations about our world and its people -- and his art, which we, thankfully,
still have with us -- continue to be a blessing to the living.
CLICK HERE FOR WILIKPEDIA ARTICLE
NEW -
Click here for Japanese Facebook Page!
