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{{Short description|Israeli French, École de Paris artist (1899–1981)}} | |||
] | |||
{{Infobox artist | |||
'''Yitzhak Frenkel''' ({{lang-he|יצחק פרנקל}}; born 1899, died 1981), also known as '''Alexandre Frenel''', was an ] painter. Considered the father of Israeli modern art. | |||
| name = Isaac Frenkel | |||
| education = Fine Arts Academy of Odessa, ], ] | |||
| awards = ] 1934,1938,1939,1940,1948, Grand Prix de Paques (nude) 1972, Grand Prix de Noel (expressionism) 1972, Grand Prix de Deauville 1973, Grand prix International de Peinture de la Côte d’Azur en France Finale 1973 | |||
| children = 8 | |||
| spouse = Yudith (1st, div), Miriam (2nd died), Inget (3rd died), Ilana (4th) | |||
| movement = ] | |||
| style = ], ], ], ], Realism, | |||
| notable_works = Connection of Objects | |||
| known_for = Art: Painting, Sculpture | |||
| nationality = Israeli, French | |||
| image = IAFFartist.jpg | |||
| birth_name = Yitzhak Frenkel | |||
| birth_date = 10 August 1899 | |||
| birth_place = ], ] | |||
| death_place = ], ] | |||
| death_date = 4 April 1981 (aged 81) | |||
| resting_place = ], ] | |||
| caption = Frenkel Frenel | |||
| website = https://www.frenkelfrenel.org/ | |||
}} | |||
'''Yitzhak Frenkel''' ({{langx|he|יצחק פרנקל}}; 1899–1981), also known as '''Isaac Frenkel''' or '''Alexandre Frenel''', was an Israeli painter, sculptor and teacher. He was one of the leading Jewish artists of the ] and its chief practitioner in Israel, gaining international recognition during his lifetime.<ref name="Estimation et cote de Alexandre FRENEL | Expertise gratuite">{{Cite web |title=Estimation et cote de Alexandre FRENEL {{!}} Expertise gratuite |url=https://mr-expert.com/artistes/estimation-cote-prix-alexandre-frenel/ |access-date=2022-05-05 |website=Mr Expert |language=fr}}</ref><ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Waldemar |first=George |date=1 June 1955 |title=Frenel (Galerie Marcel-Bernheim)}}</ref> | |||
He is thought of as one of the most important Jewish "]" painters. | |||
Frenkel is considered the father of ]. He is accredited with bringing the influence of the ] to Israel, which until then was dominated by ].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Schule von Paris – Misplaced Pages – Enzyklopädie |url=https://wiki.edu.vn/wiki15/2020/12/21/schule-von-paris-wikipedia/amp/ |access-date=2023-08-25 |website=wiki.edu.vn |language=de-DE}}</ref><ref name=":4" /><ref name=":10" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":20">{{Cite news |date=January 1954 |title=Famous Israel artist in Cape Town |work=]}}</ref><ref name=":29">{{Cite news |last=Keehanski |first=Mendel |date=March 1951 |title=Pioneer of Art in Israel |work=The Pioneer Woman |publication-place=USA |quote=Frenkel may be considered the grand old man of modern painting in Israel in spite of the fact he is only about fifty.}}</ref> | |||
==Biography== | |||
Yitzhak Frenkel was born in 1899 in ], ]. He was a great-grandson of the famous Rabbi ]. In 1917, he studied under ] at the Fine Arts Academy in Odessa. Frenkel ] to ] in 1919 as part of the first wave of settlers of the Third Aliyah. | |||
Throughout his life he lived and worked in Portugal, South Africa, France, ] and Israel (especially in ] and ]).<ref name=":0" /> | |||
He is thought of as one of the most important Jewish "]" painters; along with Soutine, Mogdiliani, Kikone, Kremegne, Manne Katz and Paskin. | |||
He died in Tel Aviv in 1981 and was buried in Safed. | |||
He died in Tel Aviv in 1981 and was buried in ].<ref name="Alexandre FRENEL | Bureau d’art Ecole de Paris" /> | |||
==Art Of Frenkel Frenel in the 1920's and 1930's== | |||
] | |||
In 1920, he established the artists' cooperative in ] and an artists' studio in ] where gave lessons in painting and sculpture. Later that year, he traveled to ] where he studied at the ] and at the ]<ref name="ecoledeparis.org"></ref> at the studios of the sculptor ] and painter ]. At the time his painting were ]. Towards the end of 1920, Frenkel Frenel traveled to Egypt where he showcased his works in an exhibition before returning to Paris. | |||
==Early life== | |||
Alexander Frenel Frenkel was the first abstract painter in Israel. He learned his art from Paris in the twenties. When he exhibited at the “'''salon des independants'''” in 1924 in Paris, '''Mondrian''' acquired two of his '''paintings''' for an English collectionor.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.frenkel-frenel.org/The_official_Isaac_Frenkel-Frenel_web_site/Abstract.html|title=Abstract Alexander Frenel Frenkel was the first abstract painter in Israel. He learned his art from Paris in the twenties. When he exhibited at the “salon des independants” in 1924 in Paris, Mondrian acquired two of his paintings for an English collectionor.|website=www.frenkel-frenel.org|access-date=2019-08-09}}</ref> | |||
=== Odessa === | |||
He was one of the leading ] artists of ]. Frenkel returned to Palestine in 1925 and opened the ] Art School in ]. In Israel he was considered extreme in his artistic orientations. His students included ], ], ], ], and ]. He was a mentor to ] students ], ], ], and ]. All those who studied under him absorbed French influence and most them would go to learn in Paris in the 1920's and 1930's. Frenkel's style was closer to the abstract painting to which he was exposed in Paris than the ] that was popular in Palestine at that time. | |||
Yitzhak Frenkel was born in ], ] to a Jewish family. He was a great-grandson of Rabbi ]. In his youth he studied in a yeshiva where he met ]. As a child he lived right next to ] and ] publishing house "Moriah".<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Ofrat |first=Gideon |date=23 November 1979 |title=Enough with all the Frenkels! |pages=28, 29, 30 |work=Haaretz Weekly}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Ashni |first=Yeshayahu |date=23 September 1971 |title=Miracle of Resurrection of the painter Isaac Frenkel |work=]}}</ref> In 1917, he studied under ], an influential constructivist, cubist and futurist teacher and painter at the Fine Arts Academy in Odessa, one of the leading art schools in the Tsarist Russia.<ref name=":3" /> His early years in Odessa were characterized by famine, pogroms, war and factional fighting in the Russian Empire, prompting him to explore Utopian themes, the ] and deepen his studies in the ], ] and ]. These themes were incorporated in his future art.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Barzel |first=Amnon |title=FRENEL Isaac Alexander |publisher=Masada |year=1974 |location=Israel |publication-place=Israel |language=English}}</ref> | |||
=== Early influence on his Art === | |||
In 1926, he presented in the ] his abstract work, compositions of geometric shapes and alongside them landscape paintings. In this period an expressionistic tendency in his work begins to arise, especially in his choice of colour. By the time he returned to Paris in 1929 his expressionist style came into form. | |||
Frenkel was also influenced by the paintings of the abstract musicalists shown in Odessa in 1917. Their symphonies of blue along with the musical nature of their colourful art were heavily present in Frenkel's later works.<ref name=":4" /> They took hold in Frenkel's attempts to express his deep feelings in his encounter with mystical Safed, their influence expresses itself in the painter's wandering blue strokes.<ref name=":4" /> The avant-garde art of Odessa and Russian in general would also manifest itself in some of Frenkel's works his thought and his early cubist and abstract art.<ref name=":4" /> | |||
Frenkel ] to ] in 1919 with the first wave of settlers of the Third Aliyah, on board the ].<ref name="Alexandre FRENEL | Bureau d’art Ecole de Paris" /><ref name=":3" /> | |||
In 1934 he made Safed his home, becoming the first artist to settle in the ancient holy city, 14 years before the "Artists' Colony" was formally established. There he painted the ancient synagogues, narrow lanes, local inhabitants and surrounding countryside.<ref></ref> During that period he completely abandons the abstract style and embarks in the search of other, vibrant styles. In that same he year he designed the "]" carnival in Tel Aviv. In 1936 he began designing sets and costumes for the ]. He will continue engaging in the sort of work untill 1949, continuing his work both for the ] as well as the ]. During that same period he also painted portraits of several famous actors who worked for the said theaters. | |||
==First period in Mandatory Palestine== | |||
In 1937 he embarked on a journey, painting Israel from point to point, North to South. He painted Safed, ], Tel Aviv, the ] desert as well as the Galilee. He made 13 exhibitions on the motif of Safed up-to 1950. | |||
In 1920, Frenkel pursued several artistic endeavors. He established the ] artists' cooperative along with the art patron ], the painters Judith and ] Had Gadya and the sculptor ].<ref name=":32">{{Cite web |date=2013-12-03 |title=artnet Galleries: A House in Safed by Yitzhak Frenkel-Frenel from Jordan-Delhaise Gallery |url=http://www.artnet.com/artwork/426130176/117181/yitzhak-frenkel-frenel-a-house-in-safed.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203032611/http://www.artnet.com/artwork/426130176/117181/yitzhak-frenkel-frenel-a-house-in-safed.html |archive-date=2013-12-03 |access-date=2023-03-09}}</ref> Furthermore, he opened a small artists' studio in the carpentry of the ], whence he taught painting and sculpture.<ref name=":32" /> | |||
Having heard of ] on the SS Ruslan from refugees from Safed as well as envoys of the ], Frenkel visited the city for the first time in 1920. Safed would become a major theme in Frenkel's art as well as a source of inspiration and later his home.<ref name=":11">{{Cite web |title=ABOUT |url=https://www.frenkelfrenel.org/about |access-date=2023-10-24 |website=Frenel Museum |language=en}}</ref> | |||
== Art in the 1940's and onwards: Historical Artist and International Success == | |||
In the year 1948, the year of Israel's independence, he will be allowed to record historic milestones in the Israel's story. Painting the first meeting of the ] as well as the first meeting of the military committee of the ]. He also made portraits of the first 120 ] (Members of the Knesset).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.frenkel-frenel.org/The_official_Isaac_Frenkel-Frenel_web_site/Welcome.html|title=FRENKEL FRENEL MUSEUM|website=www.frenkel-frenel.org|access-date=2019-08-09}}</ref> | |||
] in 1920, prompted the quick gathering of young Jews to assist ] and his company. However, they had arrived to late. Frenkel sketched and later painted the aftermath of the battle.<ref name=":11" /> | |||
In 1949, he would become one of the founders of the "Artists Colony of Safed". His house would become an academy of the Arts, with artists from all over the country flocking to him to speak with him and observe his style. | |||
Later that year, he exhibited in ], accompanied by Judith and ].<ref name=":10">{{Cite web |title=1883 {{!}} Encyclopedia of the Founders and Builders of Israel |url=http://www.tidhar.tourolib.org/tidhar/view/4/1883 |access-date=2023-04-06 |website=www.tidhar.tourolib.org}}</ref> Due to economic hardship and dissatisfaction from the lack of appreciation toward modern art in the Yishuv, Frenkel left for France.<ref name=":0" /> | |||
In 1950 he exhibited his work in the first and second ], representing Israel. In 1952 he exhibited again in Paris. In France he created vitrages (Window glass work), which were ordered by the Baroness Alix de Rothshild at Normandy in the north of France. He is considered one of the most important Jewish "]" painters; along with Soutine, Mogdiliani, Kikone, Kremegne, Manne Katz and Paskin. He presents his work in one-man shows all over the world. By 1960 he had presented his works in one-man shows in museums and galleries stretching the globe from Europe and the Americas to South Africa and Asia. From 1960 he lives in Paris and uses Tzfat/Safed as his summer home. | |||
== Formation in Paris == | |||
In 1973, his house reopened as a museum showcasing his work. In July 1978, Frenkel had a one-man show at the ] in Paris.<ref name="ecoledeparis.org" /> | |||
=== Frenkel and the École de Paris === | |||
Expressionist works of Frenkel pinpoint the expression of inner experience rather than solely realistic portrayal, seeking to depict not objective reality but the subjective emotions and responses that objects and events arouse in them. His exalts colours reveal his most hidden emotions and express passion and drama. When he paints his wife Ilana, the colours express an erotical explosion.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.frenkel-frenel.org/The_official_Isaac_Frenkel-Frenel_web_site/Expressionism.html|title=Expressionism|website=www.frenkel-frenel.org|access-date=2019-08-09}}</ref> | |||
Frenkel then studied in Paris at the ] and at the ]<ref name="ecoledeparis.org"></ref> at the studios of the sculptor ] and painter ]. At the time his painting were ]. Towards the end of 1920, he traveled to Egypt where he showcased his works in an exhibition before returning to Paris.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=2013-12-03 |title=artnet Galleries: A House in Safed by Yitzhak Frenkel-Frenel from Jordan-Delhaise Gallery |url=http://www.artnet.com/artwork/426130176/117181/yitzhak-frenkel-frenel-a-house-in-safed.html |access-date=2023-03-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203032611/http://www.artnet.com/artwork/426130176/117181/yitzhak-frenkel-frenel-a-house-in-safed.html |archive-date=2013-12-03 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=שץ |first=אורן |date=2017-06-02 |title=יצחק פרנקל-פרנל (1900 – 1981) |url=https://www.artworks.co.il/5194 |access-date=2023-03-09 |website=עסקי אמנות |language=he-IL}}</ref><ref name="mr-expert.com">{{Cite web |title=Estimation et cote de Alexandre FRENEL {{!}} Expertise gratuite |url=https://mr-expert.com/artistes/estimation-cote-prix-alexandre-frenel/ |access-date=2023-03-09 |website=Mr Expert |language=fr}}</ref><ref name=":30" /> | |||
Frenkel arrived in Paris just a few months after the death of ].<ref name=":52">{{Cite book |last=Barzel |first=Amnon |title=Frenel Isaac Alexander |publisher=Masada |year=1974 |location=Israel |pages=14 |language=English}}</ref> Frenkel's time in Paris was crucial in the formation of the young artist. Frenkel's expressionistic style developed greatly during this period.<ref name=":4" /> His early days in Paris were characterized by poverty and hunger. He was evicted from his room and forced to live in the streets and under the bridges, leading a life seeking only art and basic necessities.<ref name=":52"/><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |title=1884 {{!}} Encyclopedia of the Founders and Builders of Israel |url=http://www.tidhar.tourolib.org/tidhar/view/4/1884 |access-date=2023-04-12 |website=www.tidhar.tourolib.org}}</ref> At last he received a living stipend/scholarship from Wormser, an aid to the Baron de Rothschild<ref name=":6" /> lifting him from poverty. | |||
In 1979 he had a One-man show at the famous "'''Orangerie'''" of Paris, in celebration of his 80th birthday. | |||
He lived in ] and exhibited his work with his contemporaries and friends, ], ], ], Streling, ] along with other Jewish artists of the ].<ref name=":3"/><ref name=":23">{{Cite news |last=M.C.L , M.L.L |date=3 June 1955 |title=Les Galeries |work=]}}</ref><ref name=":24">{{Cite news |date=3 June 1955 |title=Frenel |work=]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Waldemar |first=George |date=31 May 1955 |title=FRENEL |work=Galerie Marcel Bernheim}}</ref><ref name=":30" /> He would also spend time in ] in Montparnasse where he would meet other painters of the era.<ref name="Alexandre FRENEL | Bureau d’art Ecole de Paris" /> Frenkel would participate in long sessions with his fellow Jewish artists; he described thus their art: "members of the minority characterized by restlessness whose expressionism is therefore extreme in its emotionalism".<ref name=":52"/> In this period he also created ] modernist works that were characteristic of the ] trends in the French capital.<ref>{{Cite web |title=פסל ברונזה של האומן יצחק פרנקל פרנל אישה מניקה תינוק חתום FRENEL נוצר בפריז 1924 |url=https://en.aaronjewelryart.com/product-page/A-bronze-sculpture-of-a-FRENEL-woman-breastfeeding-a-baby-signed |access-date=2023-03-11 |website=Aaron Jewelry & Art |language=en}}</ref> | |||
He died in 1981 in Tel Aviv and was buried in Safed. | |||
== |
=== Exhibitions and recognition === | ||
He exhibited at the ] alongside other artists of the time such as Soutine. They were both noticed by art critic ]. Waldermar George told Frenkel during the time "Do not return to Palestine, they will eat you there" (Frenkel would return in 1925).<ref name=":0" /> In 1924, the Dutch painter ] acquired two of his abstract paintings for an English collector.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="Alexandre FRENEL | Bureau d’art Ecole de Paris">{{Cite web |date=2019-01-02 |title=Alexandre FRENEL |url=http://ecoledeparis.org/alexandre-frenel/ |access-date=2022-04-17 |website=Bureau d’art Ecole de Paris |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":31">{{Cite news |last=Barzel |first=Amnon |date=1972 |title=Scorching Nudes in Safed |pages=27–29, 48 |work=]}}</ref> He also exhibited at the ], and the ].<ref name=":3" /> | |||
] | |||
Frenkel won the ] for painting twice, in 1938 and again in 1948.<ref name=Dizengoff>{{cite web |url=http://www.tel-aviv.gov.il/Hebrew/_MultimediaServer/Documents/12516742.pdf |title=List of Dizengoff Prize laureates|publisher=Tel Aviv Municipality |language=Hebrew}}</ref> He took part in the first and second ]s. | |||
"''Remarkable in every respect: Picasso, Braque, Leger... and among the youngsters, Soutine, Frenel and Mane Katz''"<ref>{{Cite news |last=Raynal |first=Maurice |date=1925 |title=Salon d'Automne |work=]}}</ref> | |||
==Selected exhibitions== | |||
* 1950: ''Venice Biennale'' | |||
* 1924: '']'', Paris | |||
== Revolutionary of modern art in the Jewish Yishuv == | |||
<br /> | |||
== |
=== Art Pioneer === | ||
Frenkel returned to Palestine in 1925, where he revolutionized the visual arts.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-01-02 |title=Alexandre FRENEL |url=http://ecoledeparis.org/alexandre-frenel/ |access-date=2022-05-03 |website=Bureau d’art Ecole de Paris |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":4" /> He opened the ] in ], the first studio of modern art in mandatory Palestine. He was considered extreme in his artistic orientations by his contemporaries. At the time Palestine, isolated from new developments in European art and seeking to adhere to religious-nationalistic work in the ] Style; saw art that was not at pace with art of European Capitals and deeply influenced by ].<ref name=":4" /> Frenkel's style was closer to the abstract and cubist painting of Paris than the ] popular in Palestine at that time. He was one of the country's first abstract painters.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Abstract Alexander Frenel Frenkel was the first abstract painter in Israel. He learned his art from Paris in the twenties. When he exhibited at the "salon des independants" in 1924 in Paris, Mondrian acquired two of his paintings for an English collectionor. |url=https://www.frenkel-frenel.org/The_official_Isaac_Frenkel-Frenel_web_site/Abstract.html |access-date=2023-03-11 |website=www.frenkel-frenel.org}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite web |date=2013-12-03 |title=artnet Galleries: A House in Safed by Yitzhak Frenkel-Frenel from Jordan-Delhaise Gallery |url=http://www.artnet.com/artwork/426130176/117181/yitzhak-frenkel-frenel-a-house-in-safed.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203032611/http://www.artnet.com/artwork/426130176/117181/yitzhak-frenkel-frenel-a-house-in-safed.html |archive-date=2013-12-03 |access-date=2023-03-11}}</ref> Frenkel did not demand even one ] from his students for his teaching.<ref name=":0" /> | |||
-] (Tel Aviv) 1935;1938;1939;1940;1948 | |||
His students included ], ], ], ], ] and ]. He was a mentor to ] students ], ], ], and ]. Several of his students (Such as Moshe Castel and others) included Bezalel art students who would visit Tel Aviv in order to absorb the "maestero's" teachings.<ref name=":4" /> | |||
-1st Prize for Litography-French pavillion-in the International Lithography Exhibition (] Belgium) 1958 | |||
Frenkel revealed to his students the principles of French painting and weaned them away from the academic influence of the ] as well as the Russian schools of which he himself was originally perhaps a part of.<ref name=":22" /> | |||
-Grand prix de Paques(nude) 1972 | |||
=== Style and Thoughts: The first Abstract painter === | |||
-Grand prix de Noel (expressionism) 1972 | |||
Frenkel's Parisian expressionism and modern French influence also influenced him as a teacher.<ref name=":4" /> Those who studied under him absorbed French influence and went to study in Paris in the 1920s and 1930s. Frenkel taught his students about ] and ] and techniques he had learned in France. as well as Post-Impressionism.<ref name=":31" /> Which as of yet unknown. Frenkel had a pivotal role in propelling the art and cultural scene into modern trends.<ref name=":31" /> He taught his students the principles of color, texture and composition.<ref name=":12" /> He exposed his students to Jewish Expressionism as well as the intellectual basis and techniques of French art.<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Savag |first=Rachel |title=Chapters in Israeli Art |publisher=Maalot |year=1989 |location=Israel |language=Hebrew}}</ref> On the Jewish School of Paris, he said "Like Jewish baroque, penetrating French romanticism, like Delacroix's"<ref name=":52" /> | |||
In response to Jerusalem's conservative Bezalel's exhibitions, Frenkel's Tel-Aviv ] in 1926, exhibited at the ] in the "Modern Artists" exhibition. Frenkel too exhibited, showing geometric compositions alongside landscape paintings. These were the first abstract paintings shown in the country.<ref name=":52" /> Frenkel and his students were described as "Modern Artists".<ref name=":0" /> | |||
-Grand prix International de Peinture de la Cote d’Azur en Frande Finale 1973 | |||
Frenkel's work and studio was one of the major factors in the cultural shift in importance in respect to Jewish art, from ] to ].<ref name=":0" /> | |||
-Grand prix International de Deauville 1973<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.frenkel-frenel.org/The_official_Isaac_Frenkel-Frenel_web_site/About_the_artist.html|title=Yitzhak Alexander Frenkel Frenel|website=www.frenkel-frenel.org|access-date=2019-08-08}}</ref> | |||
Upon his return home, Frenkel was struck by the gap between Paris, and the art of the Jewish ].<ref name=":52"/> He felt that he could not express the pioneers' struggle for survival in ]. Frenkel said "The intellectuals here turned to agriculture and road building. I wanted to plant a seed in this unsown land. It is impossible to imitate Israeli art; it must grow organically from the land".<ref name=":52"/><ref name=":7">{{Cite book |last=Barzel |first=Amnon |title=Frenel Isaac Alexander |publisher=Masada |year=1974 |location=Israel |pages=14, 15 |language=English}}</ref> Furthermore, Frenkel in his rencounter with the mystical city of ], one of the great subjects of his art, feeling thus: "''To paint here, is possible only through the direct contact with the landscape, like Russian songs attached to the Volga''".<ref name=":31" /> | |||
==Selected collections== | |||
* ''Israel Museum'', Jerusalem | |||
== Second Parisian Period == | |||
Following the ], the economic situation brought about the closure of the ], following which Frenkel had to leave the Yishuv in search of better economic prospects.<ref name=":11" /> Between 1929 and 1934 Frenkel returned to Paris. During Frenkel created several frescos, an art he would continue endeavoring most of his life.<ref name=":6" /> In order to complement his dull income, Frenkel worked in French movie sets, creating decorative pieces and designing sets for ] as well as theatres.<ref name=":11" /> | |||
In reaction to European events, the Ecole de Paris artists including Frenkel returned to paint in a more humanist style, in light of this Frenkel began to paint in a more realistic style. Furthermore, the subjects of his painting turned more frequently to human centered themes and less of the abstract exploration of the previous decade.<ref name=":6" /> Sensing the growing ], Frenkel left Europe in 1934, returning to ].<ref name=":11" /> | |||
== Safed and Tel Aviv, 1930s, 40s == | |||
=== Safed === | |||
Reminiscent of his early encounter of ] in 1920. In 1934, he made Safed his home, becoming the first artist to settle in the ancient holy city, 14 years before the "]" was formally established. There he painted the ancient synagogues, narrow lanes, local inhabitants and surrounding countryside.<ref name=":8">{{Cite book |last=Barzel |first=Amnon |title=Frenel Isaac Alexandre |publisher=Masada |year=1974 |location=Israel |pages=16 |language=English}}</ref><ref name=":9"></ref> | |||
He first encountered Safed after his Aliya to ] in 1919, the ancient city left a deep impression on the young artist. Frenkel was entranced and mystified by the city's colours, its shades of blue, the chants of prayer and the alleyways. Frenkel romanticized the city and its landscapes. This is evident in his portrayal of Safed, mystic and spiritual, things unseen and hidden from the naked eye which the artist attempts to reveal.<ref name=":8" /><ref name=":9" /> Frenkel, found in Safed a spirituality and inspiration that was harder to find elsewhere.<ref name=":8" /> According to Keehanski, in Safed, Frenkel felt he could connect with the long history of the Jewish people.<ref name=":29" /> Frenkel painted the ancient synagogues, narrow lanes, rabbis and their students, scenes of Jewish life, local residents and the landscape of ].<ref name=":8" /> | |||
Safed would remain a major theme of Frenkel's art, he would paint the houses in slanted forms as though they were dancing. Safed was between dreams and reality in his work. In his ], figures from the ] strolled and met in the Safed alleyways or its surrounding landscapes. He painted ] ] against the backdrop of Safed's mountains.<ref name=":0" /> Several of Frenkel's Safed works are full of hot volcanic colors. The sky fiery and trees bent by the power of this creation.<ref name=":33">{{Cite journal |last=Talphir |first=Gabriel |date=1959 |title=Safed in Frenkel's paintings |journal=] |pages=41–42}}</ref> Frenkel sought not to explore Safed's reality but the underlying mystery and burning emotionality of the ancient city.<ref name=":33" /> Safed's mysticism remained ever present in many of Frenkel's works, even in his later time in France: "''A man cannot escape himself, I am my own eternal violin''".<ref name=":0" /> | |||
=== Late 1930s === | |||
During this period, Frenkel frequently moved between Safed, Jerusalem and most frequently Tel Aviv. At first he slept at his friend, ]'s home until his family finally moved to Tel Aviv in 1936.<ref name=":12" /> During that period he mostly abandoned the abstract style. He and ] designed the ] in which he specifically designed the floats for the "]" carnival in Tel Aviv. In 1936 he began designing sets and costumes for the ] and ], and painted portraits of famous actors such as ] who worked there.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":6" /> In 1934, Frenkel published an article on French Art in the art monthly ], a piece that was highly influential at the time.<ref name=":0" /> | |||
In 1937, he embarked on a journey, painting Israel from point to point, North to South. He painted Safed, ], Tel Aviv, the ] desert as well as the Galilee. He made 13 exhibitions on the motif of Safed up-to 1950. Several of his landscapes showed the influence of ].<ref name=":7" /> In 1937, in his eyes, Jerusalem and its soil was brown and hot... Prompting the artist to paint Jerusalem and its hills (as well as Rosh Pina in which he saw a familiar brown) in a ]esque light.<ref name=":7" /> | |||
In similar to fashion to his contemporaries. Frenkel was part of the Bohemian cultural life of Tel Aviv. Frequently sitting in ], ] ] and other places. He like the other artists and writers such as ], ], ] and others with whom he sat, struggled economically and thus frequented cheaper establishments whence they paid with paintings or other means.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Carmela |first=Batia |title=The Cafes of Tel Aviv 1920-1980 |publisher=Israel Museum |year=2007 |isbn=9789652172648 |location=Israel |language=Hebrew}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Tamuz |first=Benjamin |title=The Story of Israeli Art |publisher=Masada |year=1980 |pages=Givatayim, Israel |language=Hebrew}}</ref> Frenkel made several portraits during this time, several of them his friends. These include the writer ], the actress ], the poet ], the painter ], the director ] and more...<ref name=":12">{{Cite web |last=Frenkel |first=Eliezer |date= |title=Father |url=http://www.sadnafrenkel.co.il/pdf/%D7%90%D7%91%D7%90/%D7%90%D7%91%D7%90-02.pdf |website=Sadna Frenkel}}</ref> Frenkel was also commissioned in the 1930s to decorate the Belgian Pavilion in the ].<ref name=":12" /> | |||
In 1938, Frenkel reopened a studio in his Tel Aviv home where he taught mostly young students, among these were ], ], ] and others.<ref name=":12" /> Two of his art works, ] and The Country and its Fruits; were chosen to represent the Jewish Palestine Pavilion in the ].<ref name=":12" /> | |||
=== 1940s === | |||
In 1941, Frenkel moved to ] ], there he taught art in the local school, teaching students from Givat Brenner and the nearby ]. According to his son, Eliezer, in the face of unwilling students he explain his belief that "Anyone can paint, one must only want to". His time in the kibbutz was brief, partly due to the kibbutz' ill treatment of the artist which expressed in the Kibbutz's refusal to allocate the artist storage place for his art or a studio room; as well as his difficult integrating into the kibbutz lifestyle; he promptly returned to Tel Aviv between 1942 and 1943.<ref name=":12" /> | |||
In 1942 he organized the first art exhibition in Safed, the entrance fee a symbolic one penny, allowing a diverse crowd to attend.<ref name=":0" /> In 1943, he embarked on a journey, traveling the ], painting several landscapes, the ], trees as well as the city of ]. It is said his art was influenced and in dialogue with the work of ] and ], in his exploration of lighter and darker shades of colour.<ref name=":12" /> | |||
In 1944, marking 25 years since his aliya. He held a solo exhibition in the ] that covered the entire second floor.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sharia |first=S |date=21 December 1944 |title=Jubilee Exposition in Tel Aviv Museum of Art |work=Haraka}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Levi |first=Leitza |date=5 January 1945 |title=Isaac Frenkel's exhibition |work=Davar}}</ref> There he presented different themes, including landscapes as well as grey sketches done in reaction to the events unfolding in Europe. He was heavily criticized by some for the latter who attested that the artist had ought to wait and understand more fully what had occurred.<ref name=":12" /> According to his son, Frenkel was critical of ] of the ]. He interpreted it as art imposed on Russian artists and contrary to the spirit of the "]" of which he was a part.<ref name=":12" /> | |||
== Government work, Venice Biennale and Safed == | |||
=== Historical Recording, Venice Biennale === | |||
In 1948, Frenkel painted the first meeting of the ] as well as the first meeting of the military committee of the ]. Which was probably intended as a sketch in preparation of a larger painting.<ref name=":15" /><ref name=":16" /> He also made portraits of the first 120 ] (Members of the Knesset), only few were finished or carried out in oil such as ] portrait.<ref name=":15">{{Cite web|url=https://www.frenkel-frenel.org/The_official_Isaac_Frenkel-Frenel_web_site/Welcome.html|title=FRENKEL FRENEL MUSEUM|website=www.frenkel-frenel.org|access-date=2019-08-09}}</ref><ref name=":16">{{Cite web |date=2020-11-20 |title=מדוע לא צויר טקס הכרזת המדינה? |url=https://gideonofrat.wordpress.com/2020/11/20/%d7%9e%d7%93%d7%95%d7%a2-%d7%9c%d7%90-%d7%a6%d7%95%d7%99%d7%a8-%d7%98%d7%a7%d7%a1-%d7%94%d7%9b%d7%a8%d7%96%d7%aa-%d7%94%d7%9e%d7%93%d7%99%d7%a0%d7%94/ |access-date=2022-05-05 |website=המחסן של גדעון עפרת |language=he-IL}}</ref> Whilst Frenkel was commissioned to create a monumental work (8x6 meters), which would have portrayed 150 people including the entire ], Israel's ] and ], diplomats, journalists and other dignitaries.<ref name=":14" /> he met severe difficulties and challenges and was offered little government assistance. Following the minister of Education, ] death and the swearing in of the ]. The new education minister halted the support to Frenkel's work. Thus the court ordered the removal of Frenkel's work from the space allocated to it, forcing him to abandon the project.<ref name=":13" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=1949 |title=To one painter is expected the throwing out of his artwork |language=hebrew |pages=31 |work=]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Rendler |first=Michael Moshe |date=1949 |title=הישיבה הראשונה של הכנסת במכחולו של האמן פרנקל |language=Hebrew |trans-title=The First Seating Of the Knesset in the artist, Frenkel's brush}}</ref> | |||
], 1952, photographed by ]]]He was the first painter chosen by the State of Israel to represent the Jewish State at the ].<ref name="Alexandre FRENEL | Bureau d’art Ecole de Paris" /> In 1950 he exhibited 7 artworks in the 25th ], representing Israel.<ref name=":21">{{Cite news |last=Anderson |first=Deane |date=7 February 1954 |title=Impressive Show of Paintings by Israeli Artist |work=]}}</ref><ref name=":34">{{Cite web |doi=10.1093/benz/9780199773787.article.B00068047 |date=2011 }}</ref> He represented Israel once again in 1952 in the 26th Biennale. In Venice he received especially positive acclaim by Italian and Spanish art critics and positive attention by others.<ref name=":13">{{Cite news |date=11 August 1950 |title=A Conversation with Itzhak Frenkel |work=Davar}}</ref><ref name=":29" /><ref name=":34" /> In 1952 he exhibited again in ]. | |||
He was recognized as artist of the year by ] for 1949 and by ] for the year 1953 (תשי"ג).<ref>{{Cite news |year=1953 |title=איש השנה תשי"ג |pages=14 |work=]}}</ref><ref name=":14">{{Cite news |last=Feurstein |first=A |date=7 October 1949 |title=People of the Year, Isaac Frenkel |work=]}}</ref><ref name=":17">{{Cite news |last=Kanned |first=Miriam |date=20 November 1953 |title=70 Frenkel Canvasses on Exhibition |work=]}}</ref> | |||
=== Safed late 1948-1954 === | |||
In 1949, he would become one of the founders of the "Artists Colony of Safed", also known as the ]. He distanced himself from most of the artists of the colony, leading to the colony's resentment of him.<ref name=":0" /> | |||
With Safed's liberation during the ], Frenkel painted in relation to the liberation a painting of old Jewish men and women figures, in Safed, standing alone or in groups, whispering or contemplating what had occurred, redemption to them was another chapter in the long history of the Jews.<ref name=":29" /> | |||
He opened a short lived Academy for Art in his Safed home in 1950. Among other things, Frenkel planned to teach art, the craft of vitrage (stained glass) and more.<ref name=":0" /> However, due to financial difficulties, he was soon forced to leave and seek his fortune elsewhere (in South Africa, Portugal and France).<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kanned |first=Miriam |date=1958-11-20 |title=70 Frenkel Canvasses on Exhibition |work=The Zionist Record}}</ref> | |||
== Between France and Israel == | |||
=== South Africa === | |||
]]] | |||
First having exhibited in South Africa in 1947; In 1953, Frenkel decided that before reaching his final destination (France) he would exhibit once again in South Africa.<ref name=":17" /> In South Africa, Frenkel was very well received, especially by the ].<ref name=":17" /> Having brought with him a large part of his art collection. he toured the country, exhibiting his work in One-Man exhibitions. In November 1953 he exhibited his work in Coronation Hall, ]. The exhibition was hosted by the Israeli ambassador ] .<ref name=":18">{{Cite news |date=25 November 1953 |title=Mystical Painter |work=], ]}}</ref><ref name=":19">{{Cite news |last=M |first=S |date=24 November 1953 |title=Joodse Skilder Stal Massa Goeie Werke Uit |work=]}}</ref><ref name=":17" /> He received positive acclaim from art critiques, especially in regards to his paintings describing Jewish subjects and Safed, he was described as a mystical painter.<ref name=":18" /><ref name=":19" /> | |||
In January 1954, Frenkel exhibited his work in ] near ]. There receiving acclaim for the synthesis of modern art and ancient Jewish subjects.<ref name=":20" /> His art was well received for not messaging propaganda and instead focusing on the picturesque and or human subjects of Israel and its attaining of international standard without attempted glorification.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sowden |first=Dora |date=December 1953 |title=Itzhak Frenkel Painter of Israel |pages=18–20 |work=]}}</ref> ] described his art as "volcanic", "religious", "musical", also saying "the artist has recapture...the mystic spirit of Safed- town steeped in Jewish lore", "Frenkel is a master in liberating the spirit imprisoned in the common object".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sachs |first=Joseph |date=8 January 1954 |title=The Art of Itzhak Frenkel |pages=], ]}}</ref> His art was said to be of an international level when in February he exhibited in Greenacre's Exhibition Hall, Cape Town.<ref>{{Cite news |date=18 February 1954 |title=Israeli Artist Exhibits |work=]}}</ref><ref name=":21" /> In May 1954, Frenkel presented in Cape Town ] watercolors and pastels of South African landscapes as well as lively colorful sketches of ] figures.<ref>{{Cite news |last=S |date=8 May 1954 |title=Nuwe Siening van kaapse natuur |work=]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Anderson |first=Deane |date=May 1954 |title=Israeli artist shows South African water-colour scenes}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=5 May 1954 |title=I. Frenkel's "Holiday" Art On Show |work=]}}</ref> | |||
His art appeared on the cover of ], in December 1953 and January 1954.<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 1954 |title=Jewish Affairs January 1954 |pages=Cover |work=]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Massey |first=Hon Vincent |title=Jewish Affairs December 1953 |pages=Cover |work=]}}</ref> | |||
=== France 1954-1960 === | |||
In 1954 he returned to France. There he de deepened his understanding of frescos; and studied glasswork, eventually received a commission of 1.5 million Francs from the Baroness Alix de Rothschild to create stained glass windows for a chapel in ] in the north of France.<ref name="mr-expert.com"/><ref>{{Cite news |last=M.G |first=Y |date=30 April 1958 |title=דער מאלער יצחק פרענעל (פרענקעל) קערט זיך אום קיין ישראל, The painter Isaac Frenkel (Frenel) Return to Israel |pages=3 |work=אונועה הארט}}</ref><ref name=":27">{{Cite news |last=Giladi |first=Zvi |date=26 July 1960 |title=הצייר שהושמץ וסבל וחזר לביתו, The painter who was ridiculed and tormented, returns home |work=]}}</ref> During the six-year period between 1954 and 1960 he started to sign his works as "'''''Frenel'''''"...<ref>{{Cite web |last=שץ |first=אורן |date=2017-06-02 |title=יצחק פרנקל-פרנל (1900 – 1981) |url=https://www.artworks.co.il/5194 |access-date=2022-05-05 |website=עסקי אמנות |language=he-IL}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> Frenel explained this as his wishing to Hebraize his name, as well as his irritation at the commonality of the name Frenkel.<ref name=":25">{{Cite news |last=Kilnger |first=H |date=10 October 1958 |title=איוף דער טעראס אין "סעלעקט", On the terrace in Select}}</ref> This along with his windows for a Christian chapel led to rumors and negative coverage in regards to Frenel that he had abandoned Judaism, which were untrue.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=הנ יי ר שהושמץ וסבל חזר לב יתו 11 — מעריב 26 יולי 1960 — הספרייה הלאומית של ישראל │ עיתונים |url=https://www.nli.org.il/he/newspapers/mar/1960/07/26/01/article/66 |access-date=2022-05-05 |website=www.nli.org.il |language=he}}</ref> | |||
Frenel continued to exhibit works concerning Safed. His work which combined the established themes of ] was commended for transcending the traditional genre with his carefully established harmonious motion and synthetic power in which Frenel emanated his work.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hilaire |first=George |date=12 June 1955 |title=Les Arts Rive Droit |pages=9 |work=]}}</ref> Frenel continued to offer a synthesis of Jewish spiritual traditions and French techniques, as well as incorporate into his work his attachment to Jewish mysticism.<ref name=":22">{{Cite book |title=The School of Paris |year=1955 |language=English}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Shpond |first=Simon |date=6 June 1955 |title=צפת, די היים פון זיין גיסט |language=Yiddish |trans-title=Safed, the home of his spirt; The Frenel Exhibition at Berheim's |work=וייטזער וויארש, Weizar Weirsh}}</ref><ref name=":23" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Dominique |first=Julius |date=10 June 1955 |title=FRENEL |work=]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=de Falgairolle |first=Adolphe |date=12 June 1955 |title=Frenel retour de Judee |work=]}}</ref> Furthermore, in reference to his June 1955 exhibition at the ], some of his art was noted to resemble 12th century vitrages and his colour choices as Byzantine.<ref>{{Cite news |last=D'Arthez |first=Dr |date=June 1955 |title=A travers les expositions |work=De vive en vive}}</ref> The religious nature of the art caused his subsequent comparison to ] by the French press.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hoctin |first=Iver |date=8 June 1955 |title=FRENEL |work=]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=19 June 1955 |title=Lumiere Mystique |work=Vigie Morocaine |location=Casablanca}}</ref><ref name=":24" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Tenand |first=Suzanne |date=1955 |title=les arts... et leur calendrier |work=]}}</ref> His work appeared in the cover of ] on the 29th of June 1955.<ref>{{Cite news |date=29 June 1955 |title=Frenel Paysage |pages=Cover |work=]}}</ref> | |||
Frenel reflected that his continued delving into Jewish subjects such as a man carrying the Torah Scroll, rabbis, wailing and more was heavily influenced by his childhood and his mother's teaching in regards to the tragedies that befell the Jewish people and the traditions of his culture and religion. Frenel's distinctive art gained him a reputation for uniqueness while still adhering to the ] movement.<ref name=":25" /><ref name=":26" /> Frenel continued the bohemian tradition of sitting different Cafes, frequenting the Café ] and other locations, where the local intellectuals and the interested would gather and strike up conversations.<ref name=":25" /> Frenel participated and received positive acclaim in the 1955,1956 ], ] as well as the Sixth ] in 1956.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gautler |first=Maximilen |date=1955 |title=decouvertes aux independents}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Dornand |first=Guy |date=27 September 1956 |title=et le 6e Salon d'Art Sacré |work=], prix de la critique}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Warmoor |first=Audre |date=19 April 1956 |title=le 67 salon des independants a reuni 3.776 envois |work=]}}</ref> He exposed his art as part of an official French delegation in an exhibition at ] in London in 1956.<ref>{{Cite news |date=27 October 1956 |title=les grands et les jeunes d aujourd hui - an exhibition of paintings by contemporary french artists |pages=Catalogue |work=Galeries Lafayette}}</ref> In 1956 he was the only Israeli painter included in the Encyclopedia of Painting: paintings and painters of the World from prehistoric times to the present day.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mysers, Samuel |first=Bernard |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofpa00myer/page/184/mode/2up?q=Isaac+Frenkel |title=Encyclopedia of Painting: paintings and painters of the World from prehistoric times to the present day |publisher=Crown Publishers |year=1956 |pages=185 |isbn=9780517538807 |language=English}}</ref> Furthermore, Frenel participated in an exhibition of the ] in 1956.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hoctin |first=Luc |date=20 March 1956 |title=dessins d artistes juifs contemporains |work=]}}</ref> ], said the following regarding Frenel's very human and emotional art: | |||
''"Frenel's humanity does not lie in a phycological concept that constitutes only art, it resides in a component of the man, who magnifies everything he touches..."''<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lamothe |first=Nicole |date=11 November 1976 |title=Frenel De L'Ecole De Paris |pages=7 |work=]}}</ref> | |||
During this time, the diversity of his art's themes grew. He painted clowns, the circus, sailors, boatmen as well as the landscapes of France, especially the coast of ], ], ] and Paris. He did several series' of paintings of Venice, where he had exhibited several times.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Domerque |first=R |date=20 April 1956 |title=Independents 56 |work=]}}</ref> He painted more frequently ] and nature, his art, especially his coloring technique receiving acclaim in several French press journals.<ref>{{Cite news |last=D |first=H |date=10 October 1958 |title=les expositions - frenel |pages=4, 16 |work=], 217}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Gellauaud |date=January 1959 |title=Frenel, La Galerie Morgue |work=L’information Artistique}}</ref> The ] of ], ] described Frenel's art as musical thus: "The tonal chords are like musical tones and seem to modulate the space".<ref name=":26">{{Cite news |last=Cogniat |first=Raymond |date=23 October 1959 |title=Frenel |work=]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Gellauaud |date=January 1959 |title=Frenel La Galerie Morgue |work=]}}</ref> In 1959, the ] bought one of Frenel's works "''Port en Méditerranée''"', The ] acquired a lithography for 7,500 Francs .<ref>{{Cite news |date=1959 |title=Frenel - Port en Mediterranee - Galerie Gerard Mourgue |work=]}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> | |||
=== 1960s and 1970s === | |||
Frenel returned to Israel in 1960 and immediately met great difficulties. The artist whose works by then decorated the walls of museums on several continents had his home in Safed taken from him and converted into a technical school due to false rumours; forcing the painter to petition the ] to aid him in retrieving his home, which succeeded.<ref name=":27" /><ref name=":28">{{Cite news |last=Rahat |first=Menachem |date=5 June 1963 |title=I'm forced to move my paintings abroad, says Isaac Frenkel who returned from Paris to Safed, however could not present his works in Israel |work=]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Ha'Meiri |first=Yechezkel |date=22 July 1960 |title=הצייר פרנקל חוזר לצפת, מכחיש השתמדותו, מכחיש התנכרותו לישראלים, ובהתערבות של הנשיא מוחזרת לו דירתו שהופקעה The painter Isaac Frenkel returns to Safed, denies...Presidents reinstates taken home |work=]}}</ref> | |||
He showed his work in one-man shows in museums and galleries in Europe, the Americas, South Africa and Asia, returning periodically to Israel. However, being outcast due to false rumours and the antagonism the traditional artistic establishment held toward him, he would be almost unable for a time to exhibit his works in Israel. In one such case, the director of the ], Moshe Kaniok refused to answer Frenel when the latter inquired if he could hold an exhibition, not having held one there since 1949.<ref name=":0" /> Frenel even published a notice in Israeli news, informing his admirers that he is forced in great regret to move his paintings overseas: | |||
''"Due to reasons out of my control, I cannot properly display some of my most important work to the wider public in Tel Aviv and Haifa (Due to the refusal of the museums) - therefore I am forced to move my work outside the country. To those interested in my work from 1934 onward, refer too..."'' .<ref name=":28" /> | |||
The rejection by Israeli artists and institutions also reflected in his relative omission from Israeli art history books despite him being at the time the only Israeli painter included in ] and other international encyclopedias and despite his historic role.<ref name=":0" /> | |||
He returned to Paris for most of the year using ] as his summer home.<ref>{{Cite web |title=הנ יי ר שהושמץ וסבל חזר לב יתו 11 {{!}} מעריב {{!}} 26 יולי 1960 {{!}} אוסף העיתונות {{!}} הספרייה הלאומית |url=https://www.nli.org.il/he/newspapers/mar/1960/07/26/01/article/66 |access-date=2022-12-26 |website=www.nli.org.il |language=he}}</ref><ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |title="מאלצים י אות _להעביר את תמרנות י לחוץ"לארץ" — מעריב 5 יוני 1963 — הספרייה הלאומית של ישראל │ עיתונים |url=https://www.nli.org.il/he/newspapers/mar/1963/06/05/01/article/88 |access-date=2022-05-05 |website=www.nli.org.il |language=he}}</ref> In Paris living in ], in the ].<ref name=":31"/> ] was one of his students in Safed.<ref>{{Cite web |title=רולי שפר - 'צפת' |url=http://www.egozigallery.com/%D7%A4%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%98-%D7%9E%D7%A1%D7%A4%D7%A8-12493 |access-date=2022-12-26 |website=www.egozigallery.com}}</ref> In 1973, his house reopened as a museum, the ], showcasing his work. In July 1979, Frenkel had a one-man show at the ] in Paris.<ref name="ecoledeparis.org" /> | |||
His ] works pinpoint the expression of inner experience rather than solely realistic portrayal, seeking to depict not objective reality but the subjective emotions and responses that objects and events arouse in them. His colours reveal his hidden emotions and express passion and drama. When he paints his wife Ilana, the colours express an erotic explosion.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.frenkel-frenel.org/The_official_Isaac_Frenkel-Frenel_web_site/Expressionism.html|title=Expressionism|website=www.frenkel-frenel.org|access-date=2019-08-09}}</ref> | |||
In 1972, he was awarded with the Grand Prix de Paques (nude), Grand Prix de Noel (expressionism) 1972 and in 1972 with the Grand Prix de Deauville and Grand prix International de Peinture de la Côte d’Azur en France Finale. By the late 1970s it is said he had already produced more than 20,000 artworks.<ref name=":0" /> | |||
] | |||
In 1979 he had a solo show at the famous "Orangerie" of Paris, in celebration of his 80th birthday; inaugurated by the President of the French Senate, ].<ref name=":3"/><ref name="Alexandre FRENEL | Bureau d’art Ecole de Paris" /><ref name=":34" /> | |||
Frenkel who strove to become in his youth a sculptor saying thus ''"I wanted to be a sculptor, like Michelangelo, but I had problems with the patina", feeling unsatisfied with his sculpture"''; Frenkel would only consistently exhibit sculpture, in particular bronze reliefs, toward the end of his life.<ref name=":30">{{Cite news |date=7 April 1981 |title=This Week in Israel (Tel Aviv) Museums & Galleries An Interview with Isaac Alexander Frenkel |work=Israel Nachrichten}}</ref> Some of these sculptures expressed a rather Jewish pathos.<ref name=":0" /> | |||
When asked what he thought of new young artists who have left him behind he replied: "Excellent" and added "To my son I said, rebel, civilization is the rebellion of the sons against their parents".<ref name=":0" /> | |||
In the 1970s, when interviewed by ], regarding his artistic style he said the following: "''To me, materiality, is important, not of the subject of the colour,, the material that makes the painting. What does the artist do? Takes raw material and turns it a material of which we do not know its elemen''t".<ref name=":31" /> Frenel recounted to Barzel his belief in the importance of an artist using his intellect. Regarding his nude paintings, Frenkel said of his art: "''Like Delacroix's, but with Jewish sadness, with love''".<ref name=":31" /> | |||
He died in 1981 in Tel Aviv and was buried in Safed. | |||
==Awards and commemoration== | |||
Frenkel won the ] for painting four times, in 1938, 1939, 1940 and again in 1948.<ref name=Dizengoff>{{cite web |url=http://www.tel-aviv.gov.il/Hebrew/_MultimediaServer/Documents/12516742.pdf |title=List of Dizengoff Prize laureates|publisher=Tel Aviv Municipality |language=Hebrew}}</ref> He took part in the 24th and 25th ]s, firstly a pre-independence exhibit and then represented the first time Israel participated. | |||
*] (Tel Aviv) 1935;1938;1939;1940;1948 | |||
*Beaux-Arts Commission prize (Paris) | |||
*Honour Certificate for nude-painting (Venice Biennale) 1948 | |||
*1st Prize for Litography-French pavilion-in the International Lithography Exhibition (] Belgium) 1958 | |||
*Grand prix de Paques(nude) 1972 | |||
*Grand prix de Noel (expressionism) 1972 | |||
*Grand prix International de Peinture de la Côte d’Azur en Frande Finale 1973 | |||
*Grand prix International de Deauville 1973<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.frenkel-frenel.org/The_official_Isaac_Frenkel-Frenel_web_site/About_the_artist.html|title=Yitzhak Alexander Frenkel Frenel|website=www.frenkel-frenel.org|access-date=2019-08-08}}</ref> | |||
==Exhibitions== | |||
* 1950: ''Venice Biennale'' | |||
* 1924: ], Paris | |||
* 1924: ] | |||
* 1924: Salon de ] | |||
* 1925: ], Paris<ref name=":34" /> | |||
* 1950-1964 Romanet Gallery, Paris | |||
* 1954 ] - ] - Cape Town | |||
* 1957: O'Hana Gallery, London | |||
* 1959 Max Bollag Gallery, Zürich | |||
* 1962: Gallery of Drap d'Or, ] | |||
* 1965 - Continental Gallery, New York City | |||
* 1967 - LIM Gallery, Tel Aviv | |||
* 1969: Stenziel Gallery, ] | |||
* 1970: WESTART Gallery, New York City | |||
* 1972: Artistique International Gallery, Nice | |||
* 1973: Aqua Vella Gallery, ] | |||
* 1973: IBAM gallery, Rio de Janeiro | |||
* 1974: Galerie de Seine 38, Paris | |||
* 1974: Galerie Karsenty, ] | |||
* 1974: GAllery ALTULIDADES, ] | |||
* 1975: Galerie Vendome, Paris "Hommage to Chagall" | |||
* 1975: Jean Apesteguy Gallery, ] | |||
* 1975: Museum of Art, ] | |||
* 1976: Artistes Français | |||
* 1977: Israel Linke gallery, Amsterdam | |||
* 1977: Gallery Galjoen, ] | |||
* 1979: One man Show, ], Paris, inaugurated by President of French Senate | |||
== Gallery == | |||
<gallery> | |||
File:Frenkel Oil.jpg | |||
File:Tel Aviv-Yafo (997008137196505171).jpg|Frenkel and ] in Tel Aviv | |||
</gallery> | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
*] | *] | ||
*] | |||
*] | |||
*] | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
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==External links== | ==External links== | ||
* | * | ||
* https://www.frenkelfrenelmuseum.com/ | |||
* at the site | |||
{{Authority control}} | {{Authority control}} | ||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frenkel, Yitzhak}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:Frenkel, Yitzhak}} | ||
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Latest revision as of 23:24, 31 October 2024
Israeli French, École de Paris artist (1899–1981)Isaac Frenkel | |
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Frenkel Frenel | |
Born | Yitzhak Frenkel 10 August 1899 Odessa, Russian Empire |
Died | 4 April 1981 (aged 81) Tel Aviv, Israel |
Resting place | Safed, Israel |
Nationality | Israeli, French |
Education | Fine Arts Academy of Odessa, École des Beaux-Arts, Académie de la Grande Chaumière |
Known for | Art: Painting, Sculpture |
Notable work | Connection of Objects |
Style | Expressionism, Cubism, Futurism, Abstract, Realism, |
Movement | École de Paris |
Spouse(s) | Yudith (1st, div), Miriam (2nd died), Inget (3rd died), Ilana (4th) |
Children | 8 |
Awards | Dizengoff Prize 1934,1938,1939,1940,1948, Grand Prix de Paques (nude) 1972, Grand Prix de Noel (expressionism) 1972, Grand Prix de Deauville 1973, Grand prix International de Peinture de la Côte d’Azur en France Finale 1973 |
Website | https://www.frenkelfrenel.org/ |
Yitzhak Frenkel (Hebrew: יצחק פרנקל; 1899–1981), also known as Isaac Frenkel or Alexandre Frenel, was an Israeli painter, sculptor and teacher. He was one of the leading Jewish artists of the l’École de Paris and its chief practitioner in Israel, gaining international recognition during his lifetime.
Frenkel is considered the father of modern Israeli art. He is accredited with bringing the influence of the l’École de Paris to Israel, which until then was dominated by Orientalism.
Throughout his life he lived and worked in Portugal, South Africa, France, Odessa and Israel (especially in Tel Aviv and Safed).
He died in Tel Aviv in 1981 and was buried in Safed Old Jewish Cemetery.
Early life
Odessa
Yitzhak Frenkel was born in Odessa, Russian Empire to a Jewish family. He was a great-grandson of Rabbi Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev. In his youth he studied in a yeshiva where he met Chaim Glicksberg. As a child he lived right next to Bialik's and Rawnitzki's publishing house "Moriah". In 1917, he studied under Aleksandra Ekster, an influential constructivist, cubist and futurist teacher and painter at the Fine Arts Academy in Odessa, one of the leading art schools in the Tsarist Russia. His early years in Odessa were characterized by famine, pogroms, war and factional fighting in the Russian Empire, prompting him to explore Utopian themes, the classics and deepen his studies in the Bible, Talmud and Gemara. These themes were incorporated in his future art.
Early influence on his Art
Frenkel was also influenced by the paintings of the abstract musicalists shown in Odessa in 1917. Their symphonies of blue along with the musical nature of their colourful art were heavily present in Frenkel's later works. They took hold in Frenkel's attempts to express his deep feelings in his encounter with mystical Safed, their influence expresses itself in the painter's wandering blue strokes. The avant-garde art of Odessa and Russian in general would also manifest itself in some of Frenkel's works his thought and his early cubist and abstract art.
Frenkel immigrated to Mandate Palestine in 1919 with the first wave of settlers of the Third Aliyah, on board the SS. Ruslan.
First period in Mandatory Palestine
In 1920, Frenkel pursued several artistic endeavors. He established the Ha-Tomer artists' cooperative along with the art patron Jacob Pereman, the painters Judith and Joseph Konstantinovsky Had Gadya and the sculptor Lev Halperin. Furthermore, he opened a small artists' studio in the carpentry of the Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium, whence he taught painting and sculpture.
Having heard of Safed on the SS Ruslan from refugees from Safed as well as envoys of the Yishuv, Frenkel visited the city for the first time in 1920. Safed would become a major theme in Frenkel's art as well as a source of inspiration and later his home.
The battle of Tel Hai in 1920, prompted the quick gathering of young Jews to assist Joseph Trumpeldor and his company. However, they had arrived to late. Frenkel sketched and later painted the aftermath of the battle.
Later that year, he exhibited in Alexandria, accompanied by Judith and Joseph Constant. Due to economic hardship and dissatisfaction from the lack of appreciation toward modern art in the Yishuv, Frenkel left for France.
Formation in Paris
Frenkel and the École de Paris
Frenkel then studied in Paris at the École des Beaux-Arts and at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière at the studios of the sculptor Antoine Bourdelle and painter Henri Matisse. At the time his painting were abstract. Towards the end of 1920, he traveled to Egypt where he showcased his works in an exhibition before returning to Paris.
Frenkel arrived in Paris just a few months after the death of Modigliani. Frenkel's time in Paris was crucial in the formation of the young artist. Frenkel's expressionistic style developed greatly during this period. His early days in Paris were characterized by poverty and hunger. He was evicted from his room and forced to live in the streets and under the bridges, leading a life seeking only art and basic necessities. At last he received a living stipend/scholarship from Wormser, an aid to the Baron de Rothschild lifting him from poverty.
He lived in Montparnasse and exhibited his work with his contemporaries and friends, Chaim Soutine, Michel Kikoine, Jules Pascin, Streling, Kostia Terechkovitch along with other Jewish artists of the École de Paris. He would also spend time in La Ruche in Montparnasse where he would meet other painters of the era. Frenkel would participate in long sessions with his fellow Jewish artists; he described thus their art: "members of the minority characterized by restlessness whose expressionism is therefore extreme in its emotionalism". In this period he also created abstract modernist works that were characteristic of the avant-garde trends in the French capital.
Exhibitions and recognition
He exhibited at the Salon des Indépendants alongside other artists of the time such as Soutine. They were both noticed by art critic Waldermar George. Waldermar George told Frenkel during the time "Do not return to Palestine, they will eat you there" (Frenkel would return in 1925). In 1924, the Dutch painter Piet Mondrian acquired two of his abstract paintings for an English collector. He also exhibited at the Salon d'Automne, and the Salon des Arts Sacrés.
"Remarkable in every respect: Picasso, Braque, Leger... and among the youngsters, Soutine, Frenel and Mane Katz"
Revolutionary of modern art in the Jewish Yishuv
Art Pioneer
Frenkel returned to Palestine in 1925, where he revolutionized the visual arts. He opened the Histadrut Art School in Tel Aviv, the first studio of modern art in mandatory Palestine. He was considered extreme in his artistic orientations by his contemporaries. At the time Palestine, isolated from new developments in European art and seeking to adhere to religious-nationalistic work in the Art-Nouveau Style; saw art that was not at pace with art of European Capitals and deeply influenced by Orientalism. Frenkel's style was closer to the abstract and cubist painting of Paris than the orientalism popular in Palestine at that time. He was one of the country's first abstract painters. Frenkel did not demand even one grush from his students for his teaching.
His students included Shimshon Holzman, Mordechai Levanon, David Hendler, Joseph Kossonogi, Genia Berger and Siona Tagger. He was a mentor to Bezalel students Avigdor Stematsky, Yehezkel Streichman, Moshe Castel, and Arie Aroch. Several of his students (Such as Moshe Castel and others) included Bezalel art students who would visit Tel Aviv in order to absorb the "maestero's" teachings.
Frenkel revealed to his students the principles of French painting and weaned them away from the academic influence of the School Of Munich as well as the Russian schools of which he himself was originally perhaps a part of.
Style and Thoughts: The first Abstract painter
Frenkel's Parisian expressionism and modern French influence also influenced him as a teacher. Those who studied under him absorbed French influence and went to study in Paris in the 1920s and 1930s. Frenkel taught his students about Cézanne and Van Gogh and techniques he had learned in France. as well as Post-Impressionism. Which as of yet unknown. Frenkel had a pivotal role in propelling the art and cultural scene into modern trends. He taught his students the principles of color, texture and composition. He exposed his students to Jewish Expressionism as well as the intellectual basis and techniques of French art. On the Jewish School of Paris, he said "Like Jewish baroque, penetrating French romanticism, like Delacroix's"
In response to Jerusalem's conservative Bezalel's exhibitions, Frenkel's Tel-Aviv art studio in 1926, exhibited at the "Ohel" theater in the "Modern Artists" exhibition. Frenkel too exhibited, showing geometric compositions alongside landscape paintings. These were the first abstract paintings shown in the country. Frenkel and his students were described as "Modern Artists".
Frenkel's work and studio was one of the major factors in the cultural shift in importance in respect to Jewish art, from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv.
Upon his return home, Frenkel was struck by the gap between Paris, and the art of the Jewish Yishuv. He felt that he could not express the pioneers' struggle for survival in abstract art. Frenkel said "The intellectuals here turned to agriculture and road building. I wanted to plant a seed in this unsown land. It is impossible to imitate Israeli art; it must grow organically from the land". Furthermore, Frenkel in his rencounter with the mystical city of Safed, one of the great subjects of his art, feeling thus: "To paint here, is possible only through the direct contact with the landscape, like Russian songs attached to the Volga".
Second Parisian Period
Following the great depression, the economic situation brought about the closure of the Histadrut art studio, following which Frenkel had to leave the Yishuv in search of better economic prospects. Between 1929 and 1934 Frenkel returned to Paris. During Frenkel created several frescos, an art he would continue endeavoring most of his life. In order to complement his dull income, Frenkel worked in French movie sets, creating decorative pieces and designing sets for Pathé as well as theatres.
In reaction to European events, the Ecole de Paris artists including Frenkel returned to paint in a more humanist style, in light of this Frenkel began to paint in a more realistic style. Furthermore, the subjects of his painting turned more frequently to human centered themes and less of the abstract exploration of the previous decade. Sensing the growing anti-Semitism, Frenkel left Europe in 1934, returning to Mandatory Palestine.
Safed and Tel Aviv, 1930s, 40s
Safed
Reminiscent of his early encounter of Safed in 1920. In 1934, he made Safed his home, becoming the first artist to settle in the ancient holy city, 14 years before the "Artists' Colony" was formally established. There he painted the ancient synagogues, narrow lanes, local inhabitants and surrounding countryside.
He first encountered Safed after his Aliya to Mandatory Palestine in 1919, the ancient city left a deep impression on the young artist. Frenkel was entranced and mystified by the city's colours, its shades of blue, the chants of prayer and the alleyways. Frenkel romanticized the city and its landscapes. This is evident in his portrayal of Safed, mystic and spiritual, things unseen and hidden from the naked eye which the artist attempts to reveal. Frenkel, found in Safed a spirituality and inspiration that was harder to find elsewhere. According to Keehanski, in Safed, Frenkel felt he could connect with the long history of the Jewish people. Frenkel painted the ancient synagogues, narrow lanes, rabbis and their students, scenes of Jewish life, local residents and the landscape of Mount Meron.
Safed would remain a major theme of Frenkel's art, he would paint the houses in slanted forms as though they were dancing. Safed was between dreams and reality in his work. In his biblical art, figures from the Old Testament strolled and met in the Safed alleyways or its surrounding landscapes. He painted Jacob fighting the angel against the backdrop of Safed's mountains. Several of Frenkel's Safed works are full of hot volcanic colors. The sky fiery and trees bent by the power of this creation. Frenkel sought not to explore Safed's reality but the underlying mystery and burning emotionality of the ancient city. Safed's mysticism remained ever present in many of Frenkel's works, even in his later time in France: "A man cannot escape himself, I am my own eternal violin".
Late 1930s
During this period, Frenkel frequently moved between Safed, Jerusalem and most frequently Tel Aviv. At first he slept at his friend, Alexander Penn's home until his family finally moved to Tel Aviv in 1936. During that period he mostly abandoned the abstract style. He and Moshe Halevy designed the Adloyada in which he specifically designed the floats for the "Adloyada" carnival in Tel Aviv. In 1936 he began designing sets and costumes for the "HaOhel" theater and "HaBima" theater, and painted portraits of famous actors such as Hanna Rovina who worked there. In 1934, Frenkel published an article on French Art in the art monthly Gazith, a piece that was highly influential at the time.
In 1937, he embarked on a journey, painting Israel from point to point, North to South. He painted Safed, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, the Negev desert as well as the Galilee. He made 13 exhibitions on the motif of Safed up-to 1950. Several of his landscapes showed the influence of Corot. In 1937, in his eyes, Jerusalem and its soil was brown and hot... Prompting the artist to paint Jerusalem and its hills (as well as Rosh Pina in which he saw a familiar brown) in a Rembrandtesque light.
In similar to fashion to his contemporaries. Frenkel was part of the Bohemian cultural life of Tel Aviv. Frequently sitting in Cafe Sheleg, Cafe Kassit Cafe Ararat and other places. He like the other artists and writers such as Alterman, Shlonsky, Castel and others with whom he sat, struggled economically and thus frequented cheaper establishments whence they paid with paintings or other means. Frenkel made several portraits during this time, several of them his friends. These include the writer Avraham Shlonski, the actress Hanna Rubina, the poet Yehuda Karni, the painter Miriam Einsfeld, the director Moshe Halevy and more... Frenkel was also commissioned in the 1930s to decorate the Belgian Pavilion in the Levant Fair.
In 1938, Frenkel reopened a studio in his Tel Aviv home where he taught mostly young students, among these were Ori Reisman, Dadi Ben Yehuda, Claire Yaniv and others. Two of his art works, Torah Ark and The Country and its Fruits; were chosen to represent the Jewish Palestine Pavilion in the 1939 New York World's Fair.
1940s
In 1941, Frenkel moved to kibbutz Giva'at Brenner, there he taught art in the local school, teaching students from Givat Brenner and the nearby kibbutz Hulda. According to his son, Eliezer, in the face of unwilling students he explain his belief that "Anyone can paint, one must only want to". His time in the kibbutz was brief, partly due to the kibbutz' ill treatment of the artist which expressed in the Kibbutz's refusal to allocate the artist storage place for his art or a studio room; as well as his difficult integrating into the kibbutz lifestyle; he promptly returned to Tel Aviv between 1942 and 1943.
In 1942 he organized the first art exhibition in Safed, the entrance fee a symbolic one penny, allowing a diverse crowd to attend. In 1943, he embarked on a journey, traveling the Galilea, painting several landscapes, the Sea of Galilee, trees as well as the city of Tiberias. It is said his art was influenced and in dialogue with the work of Camile Corot and Rembrandt, in his exploration of lighter and darker shades of colour.
In 1944, marking 25 years since his aliya. He held a solo exhibition in the Tel Aviv Museum of Art that covered the entire second floor. There he presented different themes, including landscapes as well as grey sketches done in reaction to the events unfolding in Europe. He was heavily criticized by some for the latter who attested that the artist had ought to wait and understand more fully what had occurred. According to his son, Frenkel was critical of Socialist Realist art of the Soviet Union. He interpreted it as art imposed on Russian artists and contrary to the spirit of the "Artistes Indépendants" of which he was a part.
Government work, Venice Biennale and Safed
Historical Recording, Venice Biennale
In 1948, Frenkel painted the first meeting of the Knesset as well as the first meeting of the military committee of the IDF. Which was probably intended as a sketch in preparation of a larger painting. He also made portraits of the first 120 MKs (Members of the Knesset), only few were finished or carried out in oil such as Uri Zvi Greenberg's portrait. Whilst Frenkel was commissioned to create a monumental work (8x6 meters), which would have portrayed 150 people including the entire First Knesset, Israel's President and Prime Minister, diplomats, journalists and other dignitaries. he met severe difficulties and challenges and was offered little government assistance. Following the minister of Education, David Remez's death and the swearing in of the Second Kneeset. The new education minister halted the support to Frenkel's work. Thus the court ordered the removal of Frenkel's work from the space allocated to it, forcing him to abandon the project.
He was the first painter chosen by the State of Israel to represent the Jewish State at the Venice Bienniale. In 1950 he exhibited 7 artworks in the 25th Bienniale of Venice, representing Israel. He represented Israel once again in 1952 in the 26th Biennale. In Venice he received especially positive acclaim by Italian and Spanish art critics and positive attention by others. In 1952 he exhibited again in Paris.
He was recognized as artist of the year by HaOlam HaZeh for 1949 and by Yedioth Ahronot for the year 1953 (תשי"ג).
Safed late 1948-1954
In 1949, he would become one of the founders of the "Artists Colony of Safed", also known as the Artists' Quarter of Safed. He distanced himself from most of the artists of the colony, leading to the colony's resentment of him.
With Safed's liberation during the war of independence, Frenkel painted in relation to the liberation a painting of old Jewish men and women figures, in Safed, standing alone or in groups, whispering or contemplating what had occurred, redemption to them was another chapter in the long history of the Jews.
He opened a short lived Academy for Art in his Safed home in 1950. Among other things, Frenkel planned to teach art, the craft of vitrage (stained glass) and more. However, due to financial difficulties, he was soon forced to leave and seek his fortune elsewhere (in South Africa, Portugal and France).
Between France and Israel
South Africa
First having exhibited in South Africa in 1947; In 1953, Frenkel decided that before reaching his final destination (France) he would exhibit once again in South Africa. In South Africa, Frenkel was very well received, especially by the South African Jewish community. Having brought with him a large part of his art collection. he toured the country, exhibiting his work in One-Man exhibitions. In November 1953 he exhibited his work in Coronation Hall, Johannesburg. The exhibition was hosted by the Israeli ambassador S.C.Hyman . He received positive acclaim from art critiques, especially in regards to his paintings describing Jewish subjects and Safed, he was described as a mystical painter.
In January 1954, Frenkel exhibited his work in Muizenberg near Cape Town. There receiving acclaim for the synthesis of modern art and ancient Jewish subjects. His art was well received for not messaging propaganda and instead focusing on the picturesque and or human subjects of Israel and its attaining of international standard without attempted glorification. Joseph Sachs described his art as "volcanic", "religious", "musical", also saying "the artist has recapture...the mystic spirit of Safed- town steeped in Jewish lore", "Frenkel is a master in liberating the spirit imprisoned in the common object". His art was said to be of an international level when in February he exhibited in Greenacre's Exhibition Hall, Cape Town. In May 1954, Frenkel presented in Cape Town expressionist watercolors and pastels of South African landscapes as well as lively colorful sketches of Zulu figures.
His art appeared on the cover of Jewish Affairs, in December 1953 and January 1954.
France 1954-1960
In 1954 he returned to France. There he de deepened his understanding of frescos; and studied glasswork, eventually received a commission of 1.5 million Francs from the Baroness Alix de Rothschild to create stained glass windows for a chapel in Normandy in the north of France. During the six-year period between 1954 and 1960 he started to sign his works as "Frenel"... Frenel explained this as his wishing to Hebraize his name, as well as his irritation at the commonality of the name Frenkel. This along with his windows for a Christian chapel led to rumors and negative coverage in regards to Frenel that he had abandoned Judaism, which were untrue.
Frenel continued to exhibit works concerning Safed. His work which combined the established themes of Jewish Parisian Expressionism was commended for transcending the traditional genre with his carefully established harmonious motion and synthetic power in which Frenel emanated his work. Frenel continued to offer a synthesis of Jewish spiritual traditions and French techniques, as well as incorporate into his work his attachment to Jewish mysticism. Furthermore, in reference to his June 1955 exhibition at the Marcel-Bernheim gallery, some of his art was noted to resemble 12th century vitrages and his colour choices as Byzantine. The religious nature of the art caused his subsequent comparison to Rouault by the French press. His work appeared in the cover of Masques et Visages on the 29th of June 1955.
Frenel reflected that his continued delving into Jewish subjects such as a man carrying the Torah Scroll, rabbis, wailing and more was heavily influenced by his childhood and his mother's teaching in regards to the tragedies that befell the Jewish people and the traditions of his culture and religion. Frenel's distinctive art gained him a reputation for uniqueness while still adhering to the Ecole de Paris movement. Frenel continued the bohemian tradition of sitting different Cafes, frequenting the Café Le Select and other locations, where the local intellectuals and the interested would gather and strike up conversations. Frenel participated and received positive acclaim in the 1955,1956 Salon Des Independents, Salon d'Autumne as well as the Sixth Salon d'Art Sacré in 1956. He exposed his art as part of an official French delegation in an exhibition at Galeries Lafayette in London in 1956. In 1956 he was the only Israeli painter included in the Encyclopedia of Painting: paintings and painters of the World from prehistoric times to the present day. Furthermore, Frenel participated in an exhibition of the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire du Judaïsme in 1956. Waldemar George, said the following regarding Frenel's very human and emotional art:
"Frenel's humanity does not lie in a phycological concept that constitutes only art, it resides in a component of the man, who magnifies everything he touches..."
During this time, the diversity of his art's themes grew. He painted clowns, the circus, sailors, boatmen as well as the landscapes of France, especially the coast of La Rochelle, Cote d'Azur, Bretagne and Paris. He did several series' of paintings of Venice, where he had exhibited several times. He painted more frequently still life and nature, his art, especially his coloring technique receiving acclaim in several French press journals. The art critic of Le Figaro, Raymond Coginiat described Frenel's art as musical thus: "The tonal chords are like musical tones and seem to modulate the space". In 1959, the French Government bought one of Frenel's works "Port en Méditerranée"', The Hôtel de Ville of Paris acquired a lithography for 7,500 Francs .
1960s and 1970s
Frenel returned to Israel in 1960 and immediately met great difficulties. The artist whose works by then decorated the walls of museums on several continents had his home in Safed taken from him and converted into a technical school due to false rumours; forcing the painter to petition the President of Israel to aid him in retrieving his home, which succeeded.
He showed his work in one-man shows in museums and galleries in Europe, the Americas, South Africa and Asia, returning periodically to Israel. However, being outcast due to false rumours and the antagonism the traditional artistic establishment held toward him, he would be almost unable for a time to exhibit his works in Israel. In one such case, the director of the Tel Aviv museum, Moshe Kaniok refused to answer Frenel when the latter inquired if he could hold an exhibition, not having held one there since 1949. Frenel even published a notice in Israeli news, informing his admirers that he is forced in great regret to move his paintings overseas:
"Due to reasons out of my control, I cannot properly display some of my most important work to the wider public in Tel Aviv and Haifa (Due to the refusal of the museums) - therefore I am forced to move my work outside the country. To those interested in my work from 1934 onward, refer too..." .
The rejection by Israeli artists and institutions also reflected in his relative omission from Israeli art history books despite him being at the time the only Israeli painter included in Britannica and other international encyclopedias and despite his historic role.
He returned to Paris for most of the year using Tzfat/Safed as his summer home. In Paris living in La Rue Mouffetard, in the 5th arrondissement. Rolly Schaffer was one of his students in Safed. In 1973, his house reopened as a museum, the Frenkel Frenel Museum, showcasing his work. In July 1979, Frenkel had a one-man show at the Orangerie in Paris. His Expressionist works pinpoint the expression of inner experience rather than solely realistic portrayal, seeking to depict not objective reality but the subjective emotions and responses that objects and events arouse in them. His colours reveal his hidden emotions and express passion and drama. When he paints his wife Ilana, the colours express an erotic explosion.
In 1972, he was awarded with the Grand Prix de Paques (nude), Grand Prix de Noel (expressionism) 1972 and in 1972 with the Grand Prix de Deauville and Grand prix International de Peinture de la Côte d’Azur en France Finale. By the late 1970s it is said he had already produced more than 20,000 artworks.
In 1979 he had a solo show at the famous "Orangerie" of Paris, in celebration of his 80th birthday; inaugurated by the President of the French Senate, Alain Poher.
Frenkel who strove to become in his youth a sculptor saying thus "I wanted to be a sculptor, like Michelangelo, but I had problems with the patina", feeling unsatisfied with his sculpture"; Frenkel would only consistently exhibit sculpture, in particular bronze reliefs, toward the end of his life. Some of these sculptures expressed a rather Jewish pathos.
When asked what he thought of new young artists who have left him behind he replied: "Excellent" and added "To my son I said, rebel, civilization is the rebellion of the sons against their parents".
In the 1970s, when interviewed by Amnon Barzel, regarding his artistic style he said the following: "To me, materiality, is important, not of the subject of the colour,, the material that makes the painting. What does the artist do? Takes raw material and turns it a material of which we do not know its element". Frenel recounted to Barzel his belief in the importance of an artist using his intellect. Regarding his nude paintings, Frenkel said of his art: "Like Delacroix's, but with Jewish sadness, with love".
He died in 1981 in Tel Aviv and was buried in Safed.
Awards and commemoration
Frenkel won the Dizengoff Prize for painting four times, in 1938, 1939, 1940 and again in 1948. He took part in the 24th and 25th Venice Biennales, firstly a pre-independence exhibit and then represented the first time Israel participated.
- Dizengoff Prize (Tel Aviv) 1935;1938;1939;1940;1948
- Beaux-Arts Commission prize (Paris)
- Honour Certificate for nude-painting (Venice Biennale) 1948
- 1st Prize for Litography-French pavilion-in the International Lithography Exhibition (Bruxelles Belgium) 1958
- Grand prix de Paques(nude) 1972
- Grand prix de Noel (expressionism) 1972
- Grand prix International de Peinture de la Côte d’Azur en Frande Finale 1973
- Grand prix International de Deauville 1973
Exhibitions
- 1950: Venice Biennale
- 1924: Salon des Indépendants, Paris
- 1924: Salon d'Automne
- 1924: Salon de Société des Artistes Indépendants
- 1925: Salon des Indépendants, Paris
- 1950-1964 Romanet Gallery, Paris
- 1954 Johannesburg - Durban - Cape Town
- 1957: O'Hana Gallery, London
- 1959 Max Bollag Gallery, Zürich
- 1962: Gallery of Drap d'Or, Cannes
- 1965 - Continental Gallery, New York City
- 1967 - LIM Gallery, Tel Aviv
- 1969: Stenziel Gallery, Munich
- 1970: WESTART Gallery, New York City
- 1972: Artistique International Gallery, Nice
- 1973: Aqua Vella Gallery, Caracas
- 1973: IBAM gallery, Rio de Janeiro
- 1974: Galerie de Seine 38, Paris
- 1974: Galerie Karsenty, Monaco
- 1974: GAllery ALTULIDADES, São Paulo
- 1975: Galerie Vendome, Paris "Hommage to Chagall"
- 1975: Jean Apesteguy Gallery, Deauville
- 1975: Museum of Art, Lima
- 1976: Artistes Français
- 1977: Israel Linke gallery, Amsterdam
- 1977: Gallery Galjoen, Hertogenbosch
- 1979: One man Show, Orangerie, Paris, inaugurated by President of French Senate
Gallery
- Frenkel and Uri Zvi Greenberg in Tel Aviv
See also
References
- "Estimation et cote de Alexandre FRENEL | Expertise gratuite". Mr Expert (in French). Retrieved 2022-05-05.
- ^ Barzel, Amnon (1974). FRENEL Isaac Alexander. Israel: Masada.
- Waldemar, George (1 June 1955). "Frenel (Galerie Marcel-Bernheim)".
- "Schule von Paris – Misplaced Pages – Enzyklopädie". wiki.edu.vn (in German). Retrieved 2023-08-25.
- ^ "1883 | Encyclopedia of the Founders and Builders of Israel". www.tidhar.tourolib.org. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
- ^ "Abstract Alexander Frenel Frenkel was the first abstract painter in Israel. He learned his art from Paris in the twenties. When he exhibited at the "salon des independants" in 1924 in Paris, Mondrian acquired two of his paintings for an English collectionor". www.frenkel-frenel.org. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
- ^ "Famous Israel artist in Cape Town". The South African Jewish Chronicle. January 1954.
- ^ Keehanski, Mendel (March 1951). "Pioneer of Art in Israel". The Pioneer Woman. USA.
Frenkel may be considered the grand old man of modern painting in Israel in spite of the fact he is only about fifty.
- ^ Ofrat, Gideon (23 November 1979). "Enough with all the Frenkels!". Haaretz Weekly. pp. 28, 29, 30.
- ^ "Alexandre FRENEL". Bureau d’art Ecole de Paris. 2019-01-02. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
- Ashni, Yeshayahu (23 September 1971). "Miracle of Resurrection of the painter Isaac Frenkel". Davar.
- ^ "artnet Galleries: A House in Safed by Yitzhak Frenkel-Frenel from Jordan-Delhaise Gallery". 2013-12-03. Archived from the original on 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
- ^ "artnet Galleries: A House in Safed by Yitzhak Frenkel-Frenel from Jordan-Delhaise Gallery". 2013-12-03. Archived from the original on 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2023-03-09.
- ^ "ABOUT". Frenel Museum. Retrieved 2023-10-24.
- ^ Alexandre Frenel (Isaac Frenkel aka) - Odessa - 1899 - Tel Aviv - 1981
- שץ, אורן (2017-06-02). "יצחק פרנקל-פרנל (1900 – 1981)". עסקי אמנות (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2023-03-09.
- ^ "Estimation et cote de Alexandre FRENEL | Expertise gratuite". Mr Expert (in French). Retrieved 2023-03-09.
- ^ "This Week in Israel (Tel Aviv) Museums & Galleries An Interview with Isaac Alexander Frenkel". Israel Nachrichten. 7 April 1981.
- ^ Barzel, Amnon (1974). Frenel Isaac Alexander. Israel: Masada. p. 14.
- ^ "1884 | Encyclopedia of the Founders and Builders of Israel". www.tidhar.tourolib.org. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
- ^ M.C.L , M.L.L (3 June 1955). "Les Galeries". Le Monde.
- ^ "Frenel". Tribune Des Nations. 3 June 1955.
- Waldemar, George (31 May 1955). "FRENEL". Galerie Marcel Bernheim.
- "פסל ברונזה של האומן יצחק פרנקל פרנל אישה מניקה תינוק חתום FRENEL נוצר בפריז 1924". Aaron Jewelry & Art. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
- ^ Barzel, Amnon (1972). "Scorching Nudes in Safed". Haaretz. pp. 27–29, 48.
- Raynal, Maurice (1925). "Salon d'Automne". L'Intransigeant.
- "Alexandre FRENEL". Bureau d’art Ecole de Paris. 2019-01-02. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
- "artnet Galleries: A House in Safed by Yitzhak Frenkel-Frenel from Jordan-Delhaise Gallery". 2013-12-03. Archived from the original on 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
- ^ The School of Paris. 1955.
- ^ Frenkel, Eliezer. "Father" (PDF). Sadna Frenkel.
- Savag, Rachel (1989). Chapters in Israeli Art (in Hebrew). Israel: Maalot.
- ^ Barzel, Amnon (1974). Frenel Isaac Alexander. Israel: Masada. pp. 14, 15.
- ^ Barzel, Amnon (1974). Frenel Isaac Alexandre. Israel: Masada. p. 16.
- ^ A house in Safed
- ^ Talphir, Gabriel (1959). "Safed in Frenkel's paintings". Gazith: 41–42.
- Carmela, Batia (2007). The Cafes of Tel Aviv 1920-1980 (in Hebrew). Israel: Israel Museum. ISBN 9789652172648.
- Tamuz, Benjamin (1980). The Story of Israeli Art (in Hebrew). Masada. pp. Givatayim, Israel.
- Sharia, S (21 December 1944). "Jubilee Exposition in Tel Aviv Museum of Art". Haraka.
- Levi, Leitza (5 January 1945). "Isaac Frenkel's exhibition". Davar.
- ^ "FRENKEL FRENEL MUSEUM". www.frenkel-frenel.org. Retrieved 2019-08-09.
- ^ "מדוע לא צויר טקס הכרזת המדינה?". המחסן של גדעון עפרת (in Hebrew). 2020-11-20. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
- ^ Feurstein, A (7 October 1949). "People of the Year, Isaac Frenkel". HaOlam HaZeh.
- ^ "A Conversation with Itzhak Frenkel". Davar. 11 August 1950.
- "To one painter is expected the throwing out of his artwork". Yedioth Ahronot (in Hebrew). 1949. p. 31.
- Rendler, Michael Moshe (1949). "הישיבה הראשונה של הכנסת במכחולו של האמן פרנקל" [The First Seating Of the Knesset in the artist, Frenkel's brush] (in Hebrew).
- ^ Anderson, Deane (7 February 1954). "Impressive Show of Paintings by Israeli Artist". The Cape Argus.
- ^ . 2011. doi:10.1093/benz/9780199773787.article.B00068047.
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(help) - "איש השנה תשי"ג". Yedioth Ahronot. 1953. p. 14.
- ^ Kanned, Miriam (20 November 1953). "70 Frenkel Canvasses on Exhibition". The Zionist Record.
- Kanned, Miriam (1958-11-20). "70 Frenkel Canvasses on Exhibition". The Zionist Record.
- ^ "Mystical Painter". The Star (South Africa), Johannesburg. 25 November 1953.
- ^ M, S (24 November 1953). "Joodse Skilder Stal Massa Goeie Werke Uit". Die Transvaler.
- Sowden, Dora (December 1953). "Itzhak Frenkel Painter of Israel". Jewish Affairs. pp. 18–20.
- Sachs, Joseph (8 January 1954). "The Art of Itzhak Frenkel". pp. Jewish Chronicle, The South African.
- "Israeli Artist Exhibits". The Natal Daily News. 18 February 1954.
- S (8 May 1954). "Nuwe Siening van kaapse natuur". kunskroniek.
- Anderson, Deane (May 1954). "Israeli artist shows South African water-colour scenes".
- "I. Frenkel's "Holiday" Art On Show". Cape Times. 5 May 1954.
- "Jewish Affairs January 1954". Jewish Affairs. January 1954. pp. Cover.
- Massey, Hon Vincent. "Jewish Affairs December 1953". Jewish Affairs. pp. Cover.
- M.G, Y (30 April 1958). "דער מאלער יצחק פרענעל (פרענקעל) קערט זיך אום קיין ישראל, The painter Isaac Frenkel (Frenel) Return to Israel". אונועה הארט. p. 3.
- ^ Giladi, Zvi (26 July 1960). "הצייר שהושמץ וסבל וחזר לביתו, The painter who was ridiculed and tormented, returns home". Maariv.
- שץ, אורן (2017-06-02). "יצחק פרנקל-פרנל (1900 – 1981)". עסקי אמנות (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2022-05-05.
- ^ "הנ יי ר שהושמץ וסבל חזר לב יתו 11 — מעריב 26 יולי 1960 — הספרייה הלאומית של ישראל │ עיתונים". www.nli.org.il (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2022-05-05.
- ^ Kilnger, H (10 October 1958). "איוף דער טעראס אין "סעלעקט", On the terrace in Select".
- Hilaire, George (12 June 1955). "Les Arts Rive Droit". Dimanche-Matin. p. 9.
- Shpond, Simon (6 June 1955). "צפת, די היים פון זיין גיסט" [Safed, the home of his spirt; The Frenel Exhibition at Berheim's]. וייטזער וויארש, Weizar Weirsh (in Yiddish).
- Dominique, Julius (10 June 1955). "FRENEL". L'Information.
- de Falgairolle, Adolphe (12 June 1955). "Frenel retour de Judee". Les Beaux Arts.
- D'Arthez, Dr (June 1955). "A travers les expositions". De vive en vive.
- Hoctin, Iver (8 June 1955). "FRENEL". Arts.
- "Lumiere Mystique". Vigie Morocaine. Casablanca. 19 June 1955.
- Tenand, Suzanne (1955). "les arts... et leur calendrier". Tribune des Nations.
- "Frenel Paysage". Masques et Visages. 29 June 1955. pp. Cover.
- ^ Cogniat, Raymond (23 October 1959). "Frenel". Le Figaro.
- Gautler, Maximilen (1955). "decouvertes aux independents".
- Dornand, Guy (27 September 1956). "et le 6e Salon d'Art Sacré". Liberation, prix de la critique.
- Warmoor, Audre (19 April 1956). "le 67 salon des independants a reuni 3.776 envois". Le Figaro.
- "les grands et les jeunes d aujourd hui - an exhibition of paintings by contemporary french artists". Galeries Lafayette. 27 October 1956. pp. Catalogue.
- Mysers, Samuel, Bernard (1956). Encyclopedia of Painting: paintings and painters of the World from prehistoric times to the present day. Crown Publishers. p. 185. ISBN 9780517538807.
- Hoctin, Luc (20 March 1956). "dessins d artistes juifs contemporains". Arts.
- Lamothe, Nicole (11 November 1976). "Frenel De L'Ecole De Paris". L'Amateur d'Art. p. 7.
- Domerque, R (20 April 1956). "Independents 56". L'Information.
- D, H (10 October 1958). "les expositions - frenel". journal de l'amateur d'art, 217. pp. 4, 16.
- Gellauaud (January 1959). "Frenel, La Galerie Morgue". L’information Artistique.
- Gellauaud (January 1959). "Frenel La Galerie Morgue". L’information Artistique.
- "Frenel - Port en Mediterranee - Galerie Gerard Mourgue". Amateur d'Art. 1959.
- ^ Rahat, Menachem (5 June 1963). "I'm forced to move my paintings abroad, says Isaac Frenkel who returned from Paris to Safed, however could not present his works in Israel". Yedioth Ahronot.
- Ha'Meiri, Yechezkel (22 July 1960). "הצייר פרנקל חוזר לצפת, מכחיש השתמדותו, מכחיש התנכרותו לישראלים, ובהתערבות של הנשיא מוחזרת לו דירתו שהופקעה The painter Isaac Frenkel returns to Safed, denies...Presidents reinstates taken home". Yedioth Ahronot.
- "הנ יי ר שהושמץ וסבל חזר לב יתו 11 | מעריב | 26 יולי 1960 | אוסף העיתונות | הספרייה הלאומית". www.nli.org.il (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2022-12-26.
- ""מאלצים י אות _להעביר את תמרנות י לחוץ"לארץ" — מעריב 5 יוני 1963 — הספרייה הלאומית של ישראל │ עיתונים". www.nli.org.il (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2022-05-05.
- "רולי שפר - 'צפת'". www.egozigallery.com. Retrieved 2022-12-26.
- "Expressionism". www.frenkel-frenel.org. Retrieved 2019-08-09.
- "List of Dizengoff Prize laureates" (PDF) (in Hebrew). Tel Aviv Municipality.
- "Yitzhak Alexander Frenkel Frenel". www.frenkel-frenel.org. Retrieved 2019-08-08.
Further reading
- Barzel, Amnon. Isaac Alexander Frenel. Jerusalem: Massada Press, 1974.
- Gumprecht-Linke, S. Frenel: École de Paris. Amsterdam: Israel Galerie Linka, 1977.
External links
- Official website
- https://www.frenkelfrenelmuseum.com/
- 3 artworks by Yitzhak Frenkel at the Ben Uri site
- 1899 births
- 1981 deaths
- Jewish painters
- Expressionist painters
- Ukrainian Jews
- Israeli Ashkenazi Jews
- Soviet emigrants to Mandatory Palestine
- École des Beaux-Arts alumni
- Alumni of the Académie de la Grande Chaumière
- 20th-century Israeli painters
- School of Paris
- Safed
- Artists from Tel Aviv
- Abstract painters
- French painters
- Cubist artists
- 20th-century French Jews
- 20th-century French artists
- French male painters
- Modern painters
- Jewish School of Paris
- French Expressionist painters
- Soviet emigrants
- Ukrainian painters
- People from Tel Aviv
- Israeli painters
- Male painters
- Israeli artists
- Burials at the Old Jewish Cemetery, Safed