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 ARTISTS OF THE MONTH By Maximillien de Lafayette

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pandora, acrylic on canvas by Ilana Raviv.

 

Street of the Chain, Old City, Jerusalem Watercolor, 24x32 cm, 1945, by Judith Yellin Ginat.

Olive Trees, Safed, watercolor, 30x22 cm, 1952, by Judith Yellin Ginat.

Judith Yellin Ginat
 
 
 

Ilana Raviv ILANA RAVIV's art metamorphoses in elegant unison between structural form and liberal esthetic beauty. Ilana expresses her emotions and visions in what she calls a  "Synthetic Realism", a metaphor different from reality. "My works create synthetic life on canvas, forming diverse flat shapes in contrasts which are not naturalistic, academic or sentimental. Shapes which recreate themselves while rendering a different interpretation to reality. These works emerge from the present experience without drawing from the past, devoid of opinion, preparation or previous training. They are the product of an entry into the unknown with freedom devoid of fear.", wrote this eloquently aggressive American-Israeli artist. A flair of lyrical beauty blended with intelligent multi-layered structural compositions adds a refreshing esthetical aroma to her "synthetic art."

Flowers in red by Ilana Raviv.

Raviv is a powerful artist with a fragile spiritual limpidity. Add her to the list of world-class artists.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"The Walls of Jericho", 1996, oil and mixed media on wood, 100 X 70 cm, by Rona Boyarski.

RONA BOYARSKI transcends the frontiers of realism to embrace the unlimited sphere of unparallel romantic energy nourished with ultra sense of sophistication, expressive  nostalgic surrealism and divinatory beauty. This is a superb, multi-dimensional, creative artist. Gazing at her art is a pure delight.

JUDITH YELLIN GINAT captures the moment, nostalgia and folkloric beauty in one stroke, in one vibrant collage, in one whisper from her brushes... Rarely, we do see nowadays, artists who render homage to vanishing natural beauty of streets, markets, buildings, echoes of memories, arcades of times and hidden bleeding emotions like Ginat. An outstanding master of  light and shades, the inner feelings and moments in time frozen in the depth of nostalgic colors and lyrical compositions. In my book, Ginat is a tender giant artist.

Back Street, Safed, watercolor, 30x38 cm, 1950, by Judith Yellin Ginat.

 

 

DAVID ASCALON: THE PROPHET DESIGNER OF STEEL, CERAMICS AND  MENORAHS WITH SPARKLING UNIVERSAL TALENT.

A sublime liturgical artist

 

Undoubtedly, David Ascalon is an art phenomenon. A sublime liturgical artist with most innovative approach to contemporary art. A genius, a messenger of sacred beauty and an unsurpassed visionary with depth, perplex stunning morphology  and human esthetical drama.

The Wallpaper journal has selected New York's Brad Ascalon as one of the ten "Most Wanted" designers of 2005.  Ascalon is featured, among the other nine chosen to receive the distinction, in the publication’s Annual Design Directory.  The list comprises the ten individuals from around the world that the editors deem to be the "brightest young talents" in the realm of design. While Ascalon's emphasis today is contemporary furniture design, his roots and heritage lie in the realm of Judaic and synagogue art.  Ascalon first learned the art of crafting sculpture, mosaics, and stained glass as a teenager when he was an apprentice of his father, the renowned synagogue artist David Ascalon.  Born in Tel-Aviv, David Ascalon, who serves as the president of the American Guild of Judaic Art, is the principal of Ascalon Studios, a family firm which, for three generations, has specialized in the creation of synagogue art.  Just as David's father before him did unto him, David instilled in Brad a passion for creating, while transferring to him the skills necessary to work in an array of artistic media.  As Brad's talents evolved, he went on to play an instrumental role in a number of the Studio's synagogue art and design projects, and continues to design for the studio on a freelance basis today.

 

Brad is presently finishing up work towards a Masters’ Degree in Industrial Design at New York's Pratt Institute.    Among his pursuits, Ascalon serves as design intern for New York-based, world-renowned designer, Karim Rashid.  Wallpaper's 2005 Design Directory is now available at newsstands and bookstores throughout North America and Europe.

 

Ascalon Studios

 

Undoubtedly, David Ascalon is an art phenomenon. A sublime liturgical artist with most innovative approach to contemporary art.  With roots in Israel, for three generations, Ascalon Studios has undertaken art and design commissions for synagogue spaces and Jewish institutions throughout the world.  Ascalon Studios has an international reputation for its site-specific Judaic-theme sculptures and monuments, stained glass windows, mosaic murals, and other large-scale artworks.  The recipient of significant art and design awards, Ascalon Studios has undertaken over 200 major commissions and countless smaller projects.  Ascalon Studios was founded in Eretz Israel in the late 1930s by the Hungarian-born master sculptor Maurice Ascalon (1913-2003).  (Maurice Ascalon had also founded Israel's Pal-Bell Company, which revolutionized Israel's metal crafts industry from the late 1930s to mid-1950s by introducing the use of the now-halmark green patina to the country's Judaica and metal crafts.

 

The foundation of David Ascalon's work is his heritage -- Jewish tradition melded with an artistic lineage, and built upon the premise that an artist should give something of himself to others. The result of his work is unique, bold, energetic and surging in-depth understanding and love of Biblical and contemporary Jewish history, as well as a strong sense of purpose. It is this desire -- to create meaning and beauty from a vast array of elements -- that has driven Ascalon to his interest in synagogue art.

Photo: Temple Beth El, Mexico City, Mexico, Bronze ark doors, eternal light and menorah, by Ascalon.

Born in Israel to a family of artists, David Ascalon came to the United States as a teenager. He studied art at California State College in Northridge, and interior design and architecture at Pratt Institute in New York. Soon after the "Six Days War" in 1976, he spent a year working in Israel with the noted architect Arie El-Hannani -- but soon left the field in search of a more immediate means of artistic expression. Ascalon fused his skills as a sculptor and architect and began to create forceful and symbolic liturgical art. He had found his life's work as the designer of synagogue sanctuaries -- and the art that enriches them. Today the internationally renowned designer/ artist presides over Ascalon Studios in southern New Jersey, where skilled artisans translate his ideas using bronze and steel, ceramic and mosaics, wood and fibers, stained glass and sand-carved glass; to create windows, arks, eternal lights and menorahs, murals, sculptures, bemah furnishings, donors' recognition and memorial walls, Holocaust memorial sculptures and outdoor art objects. David Ascalon has won numerous design awards and design competitions. He is listed in Who's Who in America and Who's Who in Interior Design.

A GLANCE AT THE MAGNIFICENT WORK OF ASCALON

Congregation B'nai Israel, Tustin, CA, Bemah design, mosaic ark doors, Torah reading table and lecterns.

 

Photos from L to R. #1. Temple Hillel, Valley Spring, NY, "The Prophets". #2. Temple B'nai Shalom, East Brunswick, NJ,  "Wall of History" ceramic mural

 

 

 

Photos from L to R.: #1. Congregation B'nai Israel, St. Petersburg, FL, "The Twelve Tribes". #2. Temple Beth Or, Montgomery, Al "Let there be light" bronze and stainless steel sculpture.