The The FamilyFamily

The The FamilyFamily

The FamilyThe Family

The Family is a painting that I have dedicated to the The Family is a painting that I have dedicated to the memory of the perished members of my familymemory of the perished members of my family. . An An explanation of this work would be beyond the limit of my explanation of this work would be beyond the limit of my present time, so let me go on with the outline of my present time, so let me go on with the outline of my biographybiography..During most of my last four decades, I have been indeed During most of my last four decades, I have been indeed a wandering Jewa wandering Jew. . I have lived and worked in Tel Aviv, I have lived and worked in Tel Aviv, Paris, Rome, and Lausanne, and I presently reside in the Paris, Rome, and Lausanne, and I presently reside in the US, in BostonUS, in Boston. . I have become a man who is at home I have become a man who is at home everywhere and nowhere, an artist whose real roots are everywhere and nowhere, an artist whose real roots are in the ground of his artin the ground of his art. . As I said earlier, and it may As I said earlier, and it may sound trite, I know that what I have been painting comes sound trite, I know that what I have been painting comes from a compulsive need to give meaning to the from a compulsive need to give meaning to the miraculous fact of my survivalmiraculous fact of my survival. . It tries to appease a sad It tries to appease a sad sense of bewildermentsense of bewilderment. . It comes from the fear that in a It comes from the fear that in a world of unparalleled upheavals, things are never what world of unparalleled upheavals, things are never what they seemthey seem. . My work reveals a reality observed through My work reveals a reality observed through the eyes of a child who had suddenly agedthe eyes of a child who had suddenly aged. . Some might Some might call it elaboration of Trauma; I hope that my art is more call it elaboration of Trauma; I hope that my art is more

than thatthan that..  .

The recently The recently published published monograph on my monograph on my art, which covers art, which covers over fifty years of over fifty years of painting, has this painting, has this image on its image on its jacketjacket. . If I had to If I had to define my art's define my art's language or style, language or style, I would situate it I would situate it in a realm of in a realm of allegory and allegory and metaphormetaphor.. .

Close UpClose Up

Devastated Devastated landscapes of landscapes of ancient cities and ancient cities and urban urban constructions seem constructions seem to have been made to have been made of a child's building of a child's building blocksblocks . .

Figures are Figures are halfhalf--alive alive and halfand half--contrived of contrived of bizarre bizarre prosthesesprostheses. . Abused Abused angels angels stand stand helplesshelpless..  

Chess pieces are involved in games without rulesChess pieces are involved in games without rules

A revolution has wiped out kings, knights A revolution has wiped out kings, knights and bishopsand bishops. . It has installed an equality of It has installed an equality of imperfectionsimperfections

THE FRUIT OF KNOWLEDGE""As a child, I had a feeling that As a child, I had a feeling that

if Adam gave up Paradise in if Adam gave up Paradise in order to taste the fruit that order to taste the fruit that would give knowledge and a would give knowledge and a capacity to distinguish capacity to distinguish between good and evil, it must between good and evil, it must have been a pearhave been a pear. . I felt that an I felt that an apple, which in my childhood apple, which in my childhood memories was usually memories was usually something very sour, had something very sour, had nothing in common with the nothing in common with the sensual, wonderful taste of a sensual, wonderful taste of a

pearpear " "The pear thus stands as an The pear thus stands as an alternative symbol of the Fall alternative symbol of the Fall of Man and all of its of Man and all of its ramificationsramifications: : the expulsion the expulsion from Paradise into the world of from Paradise into the world of time, the origin of free will, time, the origin of free will, and the capacity to distinguish and the capacity to distinguish and choose between good and and choose between good and

evilevil.”.”

Huge fruit, mostly Huge fruit, mostly pears in various pears in various stages of stages of reinvention, pears reinvention, pears made of stone, made of stone, pears in the form pears in the form of hovering of hovering planets, pears planets, pears giving birth to giving birth to other pears other pears represent a represent a shattered and shattered and bewildering world, bewildering world, a universe that a universe that offers no offers no explanationsexplanations. . At At times one can see times one can see in many of these in many of these paintings the paintings the traces of a human traces of a human effort to repaireffort to repair..

EnactmentEnactment

BanishmentBanishment

 The ghettoThe ghetto. . Here is an inclined surface with no horizon and no Here is an inclined surface with no horizon and no possibility of escapepossibility of escape. . Indeed, when we were thrown into the ghetto Indeed, when we were thrown into the ghetto like human garbage, it felt like being in a deep holelike human garbage, it felt like being in a deep hole. . This hole is in This hole is in the shape of the Star of David, the emblem of the ghettothe shape of the Star of David, the emblem of the ghetto. . Near it lies Near it lies our badge of identificationour badge of identification..

The texture of the The texture of the painting tries to evoke painting tries to evoke the stony indifference of the stony indifference of the outer worldthe outer world. . After After the liberation, when I the liberation, when I revisited the ghetto, it revisited the ghetto, it stood in ruins similar to stood in ruins similar to the ones in the paintingthe ones in the painting

Here the title is Here the title is ""AloneAlone." ." It is another structure in the form It is another structure in the form of a Jewish star, an island surrounded by a menacing seaof a Jewish star, an island surrounded by a menacing sea. . The painting's sky sheds an ominous lightThe painting's sky sheds an ominous light..