Gallery of paintings and sculptures of 2017 workshop students
Opening night of the 2017 exhibition
A few words about the exhibition:
Many times after giving a work review to my students during the workshops, I hear a recurring claim: "I do not consider myself a great artist, I create for the sake of pleasure" I see this as a kind of justification for the mistake made.
On the one hand, most of us find it difficult to accept criticism, since who among us likes to talk about the mistakes he has made. On the other hand, the aim of the workshop is to learn and improve, each at his own personal pace.
A large clock and a small clock measure the same time, the function remains the same. So too do the artists, big and small, document the same time. They document events and happenings in which they were present or became acquainted with them: like a trip or a relationship, something they saw or heard or any other touching experience. Our perception of the present is made by a direct experience of events - when we experience a change of state of mind due to a particular event in reality, personal or global. Each experience is accompanied by an emotional impression, which the artists document in visual objects. So if we look at art throughout history, we can see an emotional record of the period in which it was created.
The accuracy itself is not necessary, just as the accuracy of the watch is not necessary. Einstein pointed out that time is relative, under certain conditions objects slow down or accelerate relative to other objects. What is indeed fixed in the context of time, is its ability to penetrate any restraint, it is unstoppable or obstructive. In the same way in art, the accuracy in perspective or proportions is relative and less significant than the degree to which art penetrates, is honest, crosses every barrier and conveys emotion.
An artist like a clock, does not depend exactly on status, size, but on the role he plays, documenting time, the present. This exhibition features about 100 works by 60 students who participate in painting and sculpture workshops that I conduct. These are not "big" or "small" artists, but people who document their emotion with heartbreaking sincerity and I have the right and honor to present their work here.
The pulsating figure of Alexander Cherkov, an artist and teacher, the founder of the art studio, is seen from all sides and from every corner of this classic atelier. A random visit in the morning introduced me to a group of students in a figurative sculpture class. Each of them was immersed in his corner, near his private sculpture stand, all engaged in carving a human figure, with Cherkov moving from one to the other, advising, helping, teaching and instilling almost paternal love for each of his students. From conversations I had with the workshop people, I immediately realized that this is not a formal place to study painting and sculpture, but a human place, where participants are given creative values and professional technical means aimed at helping promote their natural and personal talents. Workshop participants attest to exciting personal experiences that changed their lives during their workshops.
The current exhibition at the Givatayim Theater reveals the works of about eighty alumni and students at the center. The exhibition provides a glimpse into the world of the students and the unique connection created between them and their teacher.
