Untitled (Portrait of a Rabbi)

Jack Harold Markell was born in 1919 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He studied at the Western Art Academy in Winnipeg under Alexander Musgrove and later won a scholarship to study at the Art Students' League of New York in the 1940s under Jon Corbino.

Markell painted and taught at his own art school in Winnipeg before moving to North Vancouver, British Columbia around 1960-1961, where he lived and worked for the rest of his life. He worked in oil, tempera, pastel, and mixed media, focusing on portraits, figures, still life, and landscape subjects in an Impressionist style. The influence of Jon Corbino is evident in much of his figurative work.

In October 1952, Markell donated six pieces of his artwork to the Winnipeg Ballet, featuring portraits of Arnold Spohr, Jean Stoneham, Eva von Gencsy, and three group pictures. The paintings were initially exhibited at the Hudson's Bay Company in downtown Winnipeg and were used as publicity for Royal Winnipeg Ballet tours. Because they were touring, these works survived the devastating 1954 fire that destroyed the company's records and possessions. After one final exhibition at the Centennial Concert Hall, the paintings were permanently returned to the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in 1977.

Markell's work is held in several collections, including the Jewish Museum in New York, the National Gallery of Canada, the Winnipeg Art Gallery, and the University of British Columbia. He died in 1979.