Israel Zohar
Encyclopedia
Israel Zohar is a painter
born in Kazakhstan
on 7 February, 1945 and residing in London
, The United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (U.K.).
, a small village in the north of Israel
. He grew up with an interest in chess and Classical music, cultural phenomena that were foreign to his little village. As a teenager he began to express interest in art, and participated seriously in athletics and basketball. He was not allowed to finish high school, for reasons that are historically unclear. At the age of 18 he went to the Army, and narrowly escaped court-marshal after some military maps of Syria
and Lebanon
disappeared from his patrol jeep. In 1967 he fought in the Six Day War. He later dropped the usage of his first name and is referred to by friends and acquaintances only as "Zohar." As a boy he studied drawing with the artist Abraham Yaskil. When he began his studies at Bezalel
Art Academy subsequent to his release from the Army, in Jerusalem, his teachers encouraged him to begin a professional career right away. Winning the award for the Israeli-American Foundation in 1968, he took a course with the Viennese artist Ernst Fuchs
. His first paintings were influenced by the fantastic realism movement, but quickly he changed to symbolism and later he came under the great influence of the Dutch Master Johannes Vermeer
. Growing up in Israel and developing a profound career there, he left in 1986 and came to live in London, partly to find a better atmosphere for his artistic career, and partly as a protest against the ongoing occupation of and brutality towards the Palestinian people
. A meteoric career blossomed in London immediately. He was invited to do an official portrait for Diana, Princess of Wales
, when she was at the height of her fame and popularity, in 1990. Living in London still, he continues to be professionally involved with members of the British government and Royalty, and maintains an endless list of commitments to exhibitions all over the world.
(1990)
Wallace Browne, Baron Browne of Belmont (2006)
Honourable Society of the Middle Temple
(2006)
studied writing and is currently a musician in Israel.
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
born in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
on 7 February, 1945 and residing in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, The United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (U.K.).
Background
Israel Zohar spent the first several years of his life traveling between various countries of Eastern Europe in what is now the former Soviet Bloc. His parents were Russian Holocaust refugees; his father had been involved in the theatre. Though few verifiable facts are known about his life, a general biography can be compiled based on his own accounts. At around the age of three he and his parents settled in NesherNesher
Nesher is a city in the Haifa District of Israel. In 2011, Nesher had a population of 23,000. The mayor of Nesher is David Amar.-Etymology:...
, a small village in the north of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. He grew up with an interest in chess and Classical music, cultural phenomena that were foreign to his little village. As a teenager he began to express interest in art, and participated seriously in athletics and basketball. He was not allowed to finish high school, for reasons that are historically unclear. At the age of 18 he went to the Army, and narrowly escaped court-marshal after some military maps of Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
disappeared from his patrol jeep. In 1967 he fought in the Six Day War. He later dropped the usage of his first name and is referred to by friends and acquaintances only as "Zohar." As a boy he studied drawing with the artist Abraham Yaskil. When he began his studies at Bezalel
Bezalel
In Exodus 31:1-6, Bezalel |transcribed]] as Betzalel and most accurately as Beẓal'el), is the chief artisan of the Tabernacle. Elsewhere in the Bible the name occurs only in the genealogical lists of the Book of Chronicles, but according to cuneiform inscriptions a variant form of the same,...
Art Academy subsequent to his release from the Army, in Jerusalem, his teachers encouraged him to begin a professional career right away. Winning the award for the Israeli-American Foundation in 1968, he took a course with the Viennese artist Ernst Fuchs
Ernst Fuchs (artist)
Ernst Fuchs is an Austrian painter, draftsman, printmaker, sculptor, architect, stage designer, composer, poet, singer and one of the founders of the Vienna School of Fantastic Realism. In 1972 he acquired the derelict Otto Wagner Villa in Hütteldorf, which he restored and transformed...
. His first paintings were influenced by the fantastic realism movement, but quickly he changed to symbolism and later he came under the great influence of the Dutch Master Johannes Vermeer
Johannes Vermeer
Johannes, Jan or Johan Vermeer was a Dutch painter who specialized in exquisite, domestic interior scenes of middle class life. Vermeer was a moderately successful provincial genre painter in his lifetime...
. Growing up in Israel and developing a profound career there, he left in 1986 and came to live in London, partly to find a better atmosphere for his artistic career, and partly as a protest against the ongoing occupation of and brutality towards the Palestinian people
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
. A meteoric career blossomed in London immediately. He was invited to do an official portrait for Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
, when she was at the height of her fame and popularity, in 1990. Living in London still, he continues to be professionally involved with members of the British government and Royalty, and maintains an endless list of commitments to exhibitions all over the world.
Professional Involvements, Noteworthy Commissions
Diana, Princess of WalesDiana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
(1990)
Wallace Browne, Baron Browne of Belmont (2006)
Honourable Society of the Middle Temple
Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers; the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn...
(2006)
Legacy
In some form, all of Zohar's children are artists as well. Two of his sons are filmmakers, one is an architect, one is an aspiring DJ and one teaches painting. His daughter Alma ZoharAlma Zohar
-Biography:Alma Zohar g is a critically acclaimed Israeli musician and singer. Zohar began pursuing music as a career somewhat later than most of her peers. It was only at age 25 after divorcing her husband that Zohar decided to seriously pursue her childhood dreams and become a singer...
studied writing and is currently a musician in Israel.