Danni's Blog Post 1

      Danni  Blog Post 1

  

  Untitled: Territory, oil on canvas, 80 x 120 in., 2012

  Untitled: Lizzie in the snow, 2010, oil on paper, 42x60 inches

The works above look like photographs but are actually paintings by the New York-based Israeli painter Yigal Ozeri, who is famous for creating hyper-realistic cinematic portraits of young women. Photography and reproduction are major sources for Ozeri’s work. He first takes pictures of beautiful women in natural scenery, then he archives pictures on his computer, chooses the ones he wants to use, alters them with Photoshop and prints them out. In the painting process, Ozeri will first draw a grid on the paper, a technique that allows him to capture specific details from the actual photograph.  He then uses oil on canvas or paper to create small brush strokes that help his painting look like a photograph. 

Ozeri has been greatly influenced by the Pre-Raphaelites. He had stated that he admired how artists like Millais and Rossetti painted freely, and that they would bring models to nature and paint without relying on the academic work that came before them.   Like Rossetti, who painted beautiful women whom he knew in real life, Ozeri likes to get to know his models intimately, at which point he will photograph them outside. Instead of directing their poses, he lets models pose freely in nature and uses the camera to catch the moment. Through these means, Ozeri’s paintings tend to express the spirit of freedom. Since Ozeri has made a close relationship with his models, he knows how to capture their emotions and personality through their facial expressions and pose.

On the other hand, the elegant composition and sumptuous details in Ozeri’s painting also reminds viewers of the Pre-Raphaelites.  As seen here, most of his works portray long- haired, beautiful and elegant women surrounded by a lush and decorative background in nature, which gives a sense of ethereality and romance. For example, the one on the top looks like John Everett Millais’s Ophelia, in which the well-dressed figure is peacefully immersed in the river, and seems to almost melt in the water and transform into part of the natural environment. Moreover, in most of his paintings, like Rossetti, Ozeri favors women’s faces instead of their bodies. As in Rossetti's stunning images of women, such as Lady Lilith,  Ozeri uses the face as an emblem of the woman’s sexuality and charm. The woman in the bottom painting wears very simple clothes and her face is highly emphasized. Her gaze, along with her facial expression and the texture of her hair, makes her sensuous.

Yigal Ozeri believes that our world is serious and violent, and that we therefore need freedom and romance. Women in his paintings are mostly depicted in dreamy and contemplative states.  Inspired by Pre-Raphaelite paintings with bright colors, appealing beauties and lush landscapes, Ozeri hopes his works can provide people with an enjoyable appreciation of beauty and encourage people to pursue their dreams.