Mordechai Avniel
Encyclopedia
Mordechai Avniel variant name Mordecai Avniel, was an Israeli painter
and sculptor.
, present-day Belarus
. He studied fine arts in Yekaterinburg
, Russia
(1913-19) and at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design
, Jerusalem (1923). Avniel immigrated to Palestine in 1921 where he first worked as a pioneer in citrus plantations near Petah Tikva
. In 1923, at the urging of Boris Schatz
, he went to Jerusalem to further his art studies at Bezalel. He later taught painting and sculpture at the school, and served a term as director of the Small Sculpture Section of the Sculpture Department (1924-28).
From 1935 on, Avniel lived in Haifa
. While he is best known as a leading Israeli artist, Avniel was also a prominent lawyer and a founding partner of the Haifa firm Avniel, Salomon & Company. He was a regular participant in the group exhibitions of the Painters and Sculptors' Association of Israel and, among other achievements, was awarded the following accolades during his lifetime: Herman Struck Prize (1952), Tenth Anniversary Prize for Watercolours, Ramat Gan (1958), Histadrut
Prize (1961), and First Prize Haifa Municipality (1977). He represented Israel at the 1958 Venice Biennale
and the 1962 International Art Seminar at Fairleigh Dickinson University
. Avniel was a member of the Artists' Colony in Safed
and maintained an active studio on Mount Carmel
in the Haifa environs. Avniel's works can be found in museums and private collections in Israel and abroad. He died in 1989.
Avniel is best known for his deft and singular landscape work. He said of his scenes of Israel: "I loved the Israeli landscape. While roaming the country extensively, I gradually absorbed its atmosphere, its lights and moods, the view of mountains and valleys, the Sea of Galilee
and the expanse of the Mediterranean. Again and again, I experimented painting and drawing them, at the same time trying to teach myself contemporary art. And thus I gradually shook off the academic conception, and became freer. I tried with my whole being to find my own style. The clouds floating above the Galilee or the Dead Sea
- both below sea level - bring about an almost constant change of light, colour and atmosphere. The scenery takes on certain shapes and discards them again. These clouds taught me to understand space. I do not see my landscapes optically; they are a fusion of colours blended harmoniously - abstract at times, and at other times expressions of my inner feelings. Only after years did I find self-expression in my landscape, in the light, the atmosphere and the sun of Israel. My motif is always the non-static landscape with all its contrasts: the rays of dawn, the stillness of the day's heat, the evening's twilight, radiance and dimness, wind and rain, a night's storm."
Avniel's manipulations of light and colour share much with those of compatriot artists Shimshon Holzman
and Joseph Kossonogi
, and his finest works constitute some of the most sophisticated examples of twentieth-century Israeli landscape painting. Avniel's work has not yet garnered the full attention of the growing Israeli art market, nor has it yet appeared in Sotheby's
Israeli and International Art auctions in New York City
and Tel Aviv
.
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and sculptor.
Biography
Avniel (Mordecai Dickstein) was born in 1900 in MinskMinsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
, present-day Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
. He studied fine arts in Yekaterinburg
Yekaterinburg
Yekaterinburg is a major city in the central part of Russia, the administrative center of Sverdlovsk Oblast. Situated on the eastern side of the Ural mountain range, it is the main industrial and cultural center of the Urals Federal District with a population of 1,350,136 , making it Russia's...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
(1913-19) and at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design
Bezalel Academy of Art and Design
Bezalel Academy of Art and Design is Israel's national school of art, founded in 1906 by Boris Schatz. It is named for the Biblical figure Bezalel, son of Uri , who was appointed by Moses to oversee the design and construction of the Tabernacle ....
, Jerusalem (1923). Avniel immigrated to Palestine in 1921 where he first worked as a pioneer in citrus plantations near Petah Tikva
Petah Tikva
Petah Tikva known as Em HaMoshavot , is a city in the Center District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv.According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, at the end of 2009, the city's population stood at 209,600. The population density is approximately...
. In 1923, at the urging of Boris Schatz
Boris Schatz
Boris Schatz was a Lithuanian Jewish artist and sculptor who founded the Bezalel School in Jerusalem.-Biography:Boris Schatz was born in Varniai, Kaunas district, Lithuania, under the rule of the Russian Empire in 1867. His father, a teacher in a cheder , sent him to study in a yeshiva in...
, he went to Jerusalem to further his art studies at Bezalel. He later taught painting and sculpture at the school, and served a term as director of the Small Sculpture Section of the Sculpture Department (1924-28).
From 1935 on, Avniel lived in Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
. While he is best known as a leading Israeli artist, Avniel was also a prominent lawyer and a founding partner of the Haifa firm Avniel, Salomon & Company. He was a regular participant in the group exhibitions of the Painters and Sculptors' Association of Israel and, among other achievements, was awarded the following accolades during his lifetime: Herman Struck Prize (1952), Tenth Anniversary Prize for Watercolours, Ramat Gan (1958), Histadrut
Histadrut
HaHistadrut HaKlalit shel HaOvdim B'Eretz Yisrael , known as the Histadrut, is Israel's organization of trade unions. Established in December 1920 during the British Mandate for Palestine, it became one of the most powerful institutions of the State of Israel.-History:The Histadrut was founded in...
Prize (1961), and First Prize Haifa Municipality (1977). He represented Israel at the 1958 Venice Biennale
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice, Italy. The Venice Film Festival is part of it. So too is the Venice Biennale of Architecture, which is held in even years...
and the 1962 International Art Seminar at Fairleigh Dickinson University
Fairleigh Dickinson University
Fairleigh Dickinson University is a private university founded as a junior college in 1942. It now has several campuses located in New Jersey, Canada, and the United Kingdom.-Description:...
. Avniel was a member of the Artists' Colony in Safed
Safed
Safed , is a city in the Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevation of , Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and of Israel. Due to its high elevation, Safed experiences warm summers and cold, often snowy, winters...
and maintained an active studio on Mount Carmel
Mount Carmel
Mount Carmel ; , Kármēlos; , Kurmul or جبل مار إلياس Jabal Mar Elyas 'Mount Saint Elias') is a coastal mountain range in northern Israel stretching from the Mediterranean Sea towards the southeast. Archaeologists have discovered ancient wine and oil presses at various locations on Mt. Carmel...
in the Haifa environs. Avniel's works can be found in museums and private collections in Israel and abroad. He died in 1989.
Avniel is best known for his deft and singular landscape work. He said of his scenes of Israel: "I loved the Israeli landscape. While roaming the country extensively, I gradually absorbed its atmosphere, its lights and moods, the view of mountains and valleys, the Sea of Galilee
Sea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee, also Kinneret, Lake of Gennesaret, or Lake Tiberias , is the largest freshwater lake in Israel, and it is approximately in circumference, about long, and wide. The lake has a total area of , and a maximum depth of approximately 43 m...
and the expanse of the Mediterranean. Again and again, I experimented painting and drawing them, at the same time trying to teach myself contemporary art. And thus I gradually shook off the academic conception, and became freer. I tried with my whole being to find my own style. The clouds floating above the Galilee or the Dead Sea
Dead Sea
The Dead Sea , also called the Salt Sea, is a salt lake bordering Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Bank to the west. Its surface and shores are below sea level, the lowest elevation on the Earth's surface. The Dead Sea is deep, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world...
- both below sea level - bring about an almost constant change of light, colour and atmosphere. The scenery takes on certain shapes and discards them again. These clouds taught me to understand space. I do not see my landscapes optically; they are a fusion of colours blended harmoniously - abstract at times, and at other times expressions of my inner feelings. Only after years did I find self-expression in my landscape, in the light, the atmosphere and the sun of Israel. My motif is always the non-static landscape with all its contrasts: the rays of dawn, the stillness of the day's heat, the evening's twilight, radiance and dimness, wind and rain, a night's storm."
Avniel's manipulations of light and colour share much with those of compatriot artists Shimshon Holzman
Shimshon Holzman
Shimshon Holzman was an Israeli landscape and figurative painter.-Background:Holzman was born in 1907 in Sambir, Galicia. He immigrated to Mandate Palestine from Vienna, Austria in 1922, settled in Tel Aviv, and began working as a house painter with his father...
and Joseph Kossonogi
Joseph Kossonogi
Joseph Kossonogi was an Israeli painter.-Biography:Kossonogi was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1908. After studies at the Berlin Academy of Art and advanced studies in France, Holland, Italy and Spain, he immigrated to Mandate Palestine and settled in Tel Aviv in 1926...
, and his finest works constitute some of the most sophisticated examples of twentieth-century Israeli landscape painting. Avniel's work has not yet garnered the full attention of the growing Israeli art market, nor has it yet appeared in Sotheby's
Sotheby's
Sotheby's is the world's fourth oldest auction house in continuous operation.-History:The oldest auction house in operation is the Stockholms Auktionsverk founded in 1674, the second oldest is Göteborgs Auktionsverk founded in 1681 and third oldest being founded in 1731, all Swedish...
Israeli and International Art auctions in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
.
Selected exhibitions
- 2004: Our Landscape: Notes on Landscape Painting in Israel, University of Haifa Art Gallery, Haifa (online catalogue)
- 1965: Mordechai Avniel Retrospective, Haifa Municipality Museum of Modern Art, Haifa
- 1964: Galerie Synthèse, Paris
- 1962: New York University, New York
- 1961: Rina Gallery of Modern Art, Jerusalem
- 1960: Galerie Intime, Montréal
- 1959: Opening Show, Gallery Moos, Toronto (with Serge PoliakoffSerge PoliakoffSerge Poliakoff was a Russian-born French modernist painter belonging to the 'New' Ecole de Paris .- Biography :...
, Marc ChagallMarc ChagallMarc Chagall Art critic Robert Hughes referred to Chagall as "the quintessential Jewish artist of the twentieth century."According to art historian Michael J...
, Hans ErniHans ErniHans Erni is a Swiss painter, designer and sculptor. Born in Lucerne, he is known in particular for illustrating postage stamps, activism, lithographs for the Swiss Red Cross, and participation on the Olympic Committee. The Hans Erni Museum, situated in the grounds of the Swiss Museum of...
and Paul-Émile BorduasPaul-Émile BorduasPaul-Émile Borduas was a Canadian painter known for his abstract paintings. He was also an activist for the separation of church and state, especially for art, in Quebec.- Biography :...
) (1959 gallery invitation). - 1959: Pulitzer Art Galleries, New York
- 1957: Chemerinsky Gallery, Tel Aviv
- 1956: Museum of Modern Art, Haifa
- 1955: Nora Gallery, Jerusalem
- 1954: Tel Aviv Museum, Tel Aviv
- 1954: National Museum, Washington
- 1953: Shore Gallery, Boston
- 1952: Katz Gallery, Tel Aviv
- 1941: Beit Pevsner, Haifa
Selected collections
- Haifa museum of Art
- Tel Aviv Museum
- Israel Museum, Jerusalem
- Boston Public Library
- Brooklyn Museum
- Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge
- Hartford Atheneum
- Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
- Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
- Museum of Modern Art, New York
- Smithsonian InstitutionSmithsonian InstitutionThe Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
, Washington DC - New York Public Library
- Philadelphia Museum of Art
- Baltimore Museum of Art
- Carnegie Institute of Fine Arts, Pittsburgh
- Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
External links
- Israeli Art Centre (Israel Museum, Jerusalem - Mordechai Avniel)
- Rutgers University Art Library (vertical file on Mordechai Avniel)
- Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (collection of woodcuts and etchings)
- Selected works can be viewed here.