Chabad Lubavitch Rebbe

The style of this excellent and piercing Rebbe painting is straightforward and easy-going. So much so that it does not seem like a style. There is a certain charm to it, and it functions on many different levels at the same time.

It's about an evanescence that you can't capture. That is one of its charms. It seems to captures via it's alchemy as the image comes together in your mind, its an internal process. Its only a moment, but that which can then be sent along to the future as art. In general it may not be noticed initially as people may not always see these layers of the process. But, still it's a message that is carried forward. You can thus begin to look through the eyes of the artist, and see what he loved, noticed, and cherished.

These are the most emotionally generated instances. What's important in this relationship is the magic act of creation. The act of being engaged and fully in love. The best moments in most careers are the exploration of each other. The art discovers the painter and the painter begins to discover the artwork as it emerges. That is what is captured here. This example can be a legacy; for the artist and for the portrait. It is what life can be about more than simply surviving, its about the search for transcendence, that without it, all will be gone.

An awareness of humanity is embedded within this painting of the Chabad Lubavitch Rebbe's Portrait. Most of what is done is by chance, and then those accidents are taken advantage of. It is this experimentation and adoration that makes each artwork a growing child and admired as such. They are initially novel, then over time they begin to grow with my experiences as the artist changes themselves over their life. The artist has been like an ant on the wall that sees all the variations and permutation of a situation, and then translates the ones that appeals to him onto canvas as amazing artwork.

That first image, the genteel first stroke of paint, the tackiness as it begins to thicken and become unchangeable, and the way it affects the layers placed above it, when all these stages come together it is just incredible, there is a sense of power that you have during these phases. But, also a sense of apprehension since the artist just does not know what will emerge or what direction the painting will take.

The eyes may have been happy, although now they are simple perfectly imperfect sad eyes that pierce outward from the painted canvas. They speak of so much. It takes a great deal of trust on the part of the artist to allow their intuition to take over during the painting process. This is even more so during the portraiture when that trust is given to the artist, this is when someone trusts you to bring out their best and no vilify them. There is a sense of submission that is handed over, and a hope that your self-image is congruent with how the laser-like focus of an artist will perceive you from the outside. This is heightened with a leader of generations. You can see an evolution, when looking at collections of works. You can see a path traveled. But there is always an obligation from the heart to improve the world. And it has to do with the innocent eyes.

Exhibition Quotes:

The main thing were what his eyes communicated with you.

He held my eyes with his, and I was lost. Forever lost. I still am.

It was an exchange between two people, that arose to new heights, nothing that you have experienced in your life.

Chabad Lubavitch Print Rabbi With Torah paintings pictures rebbe painting