Much of my current painting is coming from this visit to the city that is filled with emotional and architectural wonders.
Like many European cities, Prague is choked with 1000 years of history and historical architecture, much of which has been left unspoiled by the devastating wars of the 20th
century. Once the seat of the Holy Roman Empire, Prague became a jeweled gift for Hitler, and then nearly ruined through neglect by the Soviets. My first visit showed me only a glimpse of its Gothic mysteries and political transgressions."gay Jew, Prague", acrylic on canvas, 2006, (35"x60")
I wanted to illustrate this ominous (almost oppressive) presence of the past by placing an unexpected character within the streets of history; a gay Jew must have a complex identity to be able to both exhibit and deny himself, and to be at once celebrated for his uniqueness, and abandoned for his disrespect to tradition. The dominant architectural device is Prague’s Old Jewish Cemetery, looming above the street (in some places 12 feet high/deep) like another city; the united past, full of ancient prejudices and struggles, standing in judgment against the individualist’s future.
"Green Wave- Olsanske", acrylic on canvas, 2008, (47"x 71")
This images portrays a tiny corner of this 500 year old graveyard as an historic
landscape teeming with lush vines and trees, and glowing with ghosts who have complex, forgotten pasts. Ironically, I find being in an old cemetery like this gives one a true sense of being alive. There is so little artifice that prevails, even with grand stone gestures, only a still presense of mingling artistry.
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