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If you are looking for an investment in fine arts, you are in the correct site, contact me, you will receive your painting at your home in 72 hrs in any place in the world you are.

To contact BERNARD KORZENIAK write to:
artsbk@gmail.com



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The Korzeniak's Fine Art are shown in galleries, cultural centers, Jewish Institutions Jewish Museums, and public & private collections in: Israel, Canada, USA, Mexico, France, Brasil, England, Argentina and Uruguay. Korzeniak was born in Uruguay in 1971. Studying and researching Art, especially Contemporary & Jewish Art, Graphic Design, Photography, Art History, Sculpture, Painting, Engraving, Music and new technologies on Digital Graphics since 1979. Starts art studies in Montevideo, Uruguay at the Clever Lara Studio, Arditti Studio Art Club, Berta Fernandez Musical Center, Violinist Liber Fernandez, and later intensifies art studies through travels to museums in all the World.

Since 1996 is Coordinator and Head of Computing Graphics Department of Ort University of Uruguay. Since 1998 is Proffesor at the Design School, and Architecture School of ORT University of Uruguay in the areas of Design, Arts & Graphic Tools.

Since 2001 Korzeniak is member of the "Uruguay Cultural Foundation for the Arts", Washington DC, USA.

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Bernardo Korzeniak, an artist from Uruguay who is being featured in "Postmodern Tendencies" an exhibition at SAI Gallery in SoHo.
Bernardo Korzeniak's semi-abstract, mixed media paintings incorporate oil, collage and other media. His versatile subject matter is mostly inspired by ordinary objects, Jewish traditional scenes, including musical instruments, lanscapes, the human form, and still life. Korzeniak's innovative approach and interpretation of these images make his art extraordinary. He employs structural variations of geometric forms and cubist distortions. Also, through the use of transparent layers of materials, varied textures and tonal ranges, the works of art transcend their subjects. They resonate a multi-level thought-process that fuses imagination with technical knowledge. Many of his images suggest windows and appear as metaphors for looking through many levels of interpretations. His rhythmic works activate the mind and eye of the viewer.

Papp Gallery
594 Broadway, SoHo, New York, USA.

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THE SUBTLE EQUILIBRIUM OF FORMS AND SYMBOLS
Manuel Neves, Art critic, Uruguay, Sept 2003

Korzeniak's paintings are images created of the intertwine of signs ans symbols that contain a fine mesh of mythical narrations. The plastic construction is also a rich combination of textures of diferent materials. Possible significance grows of the intersection of those materials. The series "MALAJIM" (Angels in Hebrew) is an example of construction starting at the intertwining of symbolic forms and universal signs, adopting forms as a fish where other fishes nestle, the sensual silhouette of a violin or the sinuous curve of "HAMSA". These symbols combine with others widely recognizable and with Hebrew. They supply a sensive message for the current times. It could also be said that artist's constructions are self-portraits, not because it represent morphologically his image or face, but rather the images allude to his character in a profound human sence.

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It is said that the work of a painter is the light of his soul. As a Jewish painter, my Neshamah (soul in Hebrew) could not but reflect the light of so many teachings about life and Jewish traditions learnt from my parents and Jewish studies. My works are the result of analysis and permanent investigations on themes of Hebrew symbology and kabalistic concepts from where emerge images of the fabric of signs and symbols contained in a web of personal narrations.

The process of creation

After reflecting and investigating each theme, I start the search of materials I could use for my work.
Fabrics, specially transparent and laces, give me sensation of antique, of history as well as give transparency and connotation of lightness. Because of this, I generally apply this type of material to the upper part of the composition, leaving an area on the picture where the eye of the observer can find an area of rest as well as rich in textures. On the rest of the work, I would use papers of different textures and specially Israeli periodicals in Hebrew, giving an interesting texture and also a conceptual element. Finally, in my compositions appear important symbols that identify the Jewish culture and at the same time identify me at my most intimate, such as: The city of Jerusalem, The glass of wine, The Challah, The violin, Talit, Hamza, The Jewish wedding, among others. It could be said that these plastic constructions are self-portraits, not because they represent morphologicly my physical characteristic, but because the images created speak of my person in a profund and intimate sense, of my Neshamah.

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Glance at a canvas of Bernardo Korzeniak and you'll find a intense exploration of jewish identity in muted tones. A dream-like Jerusalem cityscape, crafted from paint and scraps of Hebrew-language newspapers, perches above its ancient walls. An ornamented Hamsa (hand amulet), upon closer inspection, transforms itself into a school od a fish and a cluster of letters. The artist use Hebrew newspapers in collages they lend a deeper, stronger symbolism to the theme he is rendering. He has incorporated the mystical world of kabaalah into his art, his depiction of fish inside other fish. His "Resurgimiento" (Revival) has hung in the AMIA building of Buenos Aires since this jewish community center was reconstructed after a terrorist bomb leveled it in the mid-'90s.

Washington Jewish Week , Sept 2003. Paula Amann

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If you are looking for an investment in fine arts, you are in the correct site,
contact me, you will receive your painting at your home in 72 hrs in any place in the world you are.

To contact BERNARD KORZENIAK write to:
artsbk@gmail.com

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Judaica Art Gallery
Glance at a canvas of Bernardo Korzeniak and you'll find a intense exploration of jewish identity in muted tones. A dream-like Jerusalem cityscape, crafted from paint and scraps of Hebrew-language newspapers, perches above its ancient walls. An ornamented Hamsa (hand amulet), upon closer inspection, transforms itself into a school od a fish and a cluster of letters. The artist use Hebrew newspapers in collages they lend a deeper, stronger symbolism to the theme he is rendering. He has incorporated the mystical world of kabaalah into his art, his depiction of fish inside other fish. His "Resurgimiento" (Revival) has hung in the AMIA building of Buenos Aires since this jewish community center was reconstructed after a terrorist bomb leveled it in the mid-'90s.
Washington Jewish Week , Sept 2003. Paula Amann


The Jewish Art of Bernard Korzeniak
by daniEL I. Ginerman, Israel.

Just stand, and let one "Shalom" of Bernard Korzeniak wrap and envelop your mind. Let the rhymes of his brush talk to you about parallel orders of letter and colour, that recite the infinite dimensions of the labyrinth of life."Shalom", in Hebrew, will find its root in "Shalem", that means "complete". The Hebrew Shalom disregards leaving anything of this world outward: it isn't built through the extinction of the evil forces, but through their conversion to the right, through their turning into good.Just stand in front of Bernard's "Shalom", attend to it's symphony, and learn the harmonic rhythm of a world that pulses in plenitude. Shalom is the greatest responsibility of the Jewish artist. Bor-e Olam created the world, and lent to it form and substance. Finally, He created Adam to have him complete the work, to have him connect and reunify up and down, matter and spirit, and produce Shalom. Tools and materials in our hands, the whole world as a fantastic atelier in which we are called to recover the primary form of the sacred, Bernard's "JRSLM": the Jerusalem that is born from the inside of a violin that protects her, adorned by a mantle of letters, while a dialectic blue-blessing sun thickens the vital dream to convert it into place, space, sensitive reality that imposes itself upon all the grayscales of life. When you have Jerusalem built of letters, protected in the soul of a violin, you have the Shalom that our artist got permission to divine, and drawn for us in every piece of the forms of his light.

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Title: "SHALOM", Size 41"X36"/105X90cm
oil & collage on canvas

Synesthesia is a fundamental part of the Jewish artist's work. Bernard's pictures talk, grieve, dance, sound like violins or flutes, like war trumpets and like the Shofar that claims with us for Redemption. A "Chamsa" concentrates all the movements that the rest of the gallery will reveal, like an Overture that will be enough for the wise to passionately dare into the rest.

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"Malaj III"
Size: 24" X 20 " / 60 X 50cm

Adagios motivated on the calm perception of indigo and violet, shaking out to be displayed as light of abundance between the fingers to be flowers, to be fishes, to be earth and the Leviathan and the sea to behave the proximity of heaven, from works as the series "Malachim" that cedes place, pertinently, to the Andante of igneous characters, of sacred light that brings to reality the coronation of Torah protected by diligent lions in every "Aron HaKodesh" of Bernard. A Scherzo of violins drains frightfully along the whole Opus, protecting the sacred inside the walls of white light, unavailable to any attempt of profanation.

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"Malaj I"
Size: 30" X 30 " / 72 X 72cm

As his works devoted to "Shabbat" shine, we see Bernard concentrated in the arch, knitting an Allegro vivant on the chords of his palette of all the colours. The fish, symbol of abundance, lays on the violin that becomes a table ready for the celebration of art and life. The Hebrew word for "fish" is "dag", which numeric value is 7: the number of the completeness of Creation brought to plenitude in every candle of the Menorah, when all the musical notes are active and present, and there is no colour lacking of the rainbow that God gave men as a signal of Shalom, the Shalom of Shabbat, of the Queen that spreads the honeys of her light in our world.

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"Shabat V"
Size: 32" X 28" / 80 X 70 cm

In Hebrew, the word for "artist" is "Oman", which root refers to "Emunah" (faith) and "NeEmanut" (fidelity). The Oman is who assents, from his transcendental work, in the secret of the "Amen" that completes the "magnum opus" of Creator. The numeric value of its root (aleph-mem-nun) equals to the value of "MalAch": the angel that serves in firmament, and from there, attracts inspiration and abundance for the people that inhabit the Earth.

And this is exactly the issue we are talking about: Similar to the image and the resemblance of Bor-e Olam, the Jewish artist is the "Iotser", the Former that shapes and takes the mission of re-ligating the worlds: from the apex of the human scope, relaying hands and wings with the angels, to throw a beautruth bridge over the abyss, and bring us back to the real Light that will redeem us from our chains. Welcome, then, to Reality, from the most deeply optimist point of view that you have never dreamed to live: from the fixed life-building work of Bernard Korzeniak.


Does a Jewish Art exist?
by Bernard Korzeniak

In my opinion, the definition of "Jewish Art" occupies nowadays not only an artist and a thinker but many of the Jewish communities in the Diaspora, that must face the problem of auto-definition. Usually it is no a major problem to identify a work to a certain cultural group. No doubt that a French author, writing what he may, by writing in French and from his "national" experience, it is part of what is called "French culture/French art; likewise, the so-called "religious art" -although being international- does not present a problem of characterization. In this case the definition arises from criteria solely thematic. The Jewish artistic and cultural production, on the other hand, is not easily categorize. The paradox of the subject resides in the centrality of the questioning. It is important to keep in mind that the Jewish artistic production does not exist in purely Jewish terms, specially when relates to a Jew in the Diaspora. In most cases, he not only identifies with the cultural Jewish tradition where he comes from, but sees himself as an integral part of the national context that surrounds him. As shown before, it is not just an intelectual game. The cultural production is one of the essential elements in configuring an identity (national, religious, communitarian, etc), is one of the expresions that allows distinguishing one group form another, one culture from another and from this its importance for the Jewish people.

The history of Jewish art

The history of Jewish art as well as the history of religion, people and Jewish traditions, involve mant places and periods. Since the Diaspora, Jews always lived in the civilization of others people. Thanks to a mixture of biblical laws, Talmud instructions and constant evolution of points o view of Rabinical authorities, Judaism always incorporated influences from the societies where they lived. Sephardic Jews develop traditions different to its contemporary Ashkenazies of Eastern Europe and we are all Jews. In the same manner, Jews bring to their art the same diverse cultural influences. The forced migration produced an impressive variety of artistic manifestations. Unfortunately, persecution and dispersion through history resulted in loss of many works. Much of what is left is found in decorations and ceremonial objects. My search as a Jewish artist starts with the analysis of the second Commandmen. The second Commandment reads in part. "Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor any manner of likeness". This commandment would suggest that Jews should not produce art of any sort. Opinions in this respect has changed over the centuries. Until this century, it was believed that Jews did not represent the human figure up until the Middle Ages. Although in 1930 murals were discovered in the "Dura Europos" synagogue of the III century in Syria that dispelled that belief and gave new credence to the concept of Jewish art. These murals show scenes from the Bible in human figures. And include a representation of the hand of D's, that could be the start of the tradition of using hands for protection by the Sephardic Jews. Close to the Middle Ages, it was common to illustrate manuscripts like Hagadot for Pesaj, Ketubot (matrimonial contracts) and even the Bible. In some cases, human heads were replaced by heads of animals, specially birds .

About my Work
by Bernard Korzeniak

It is said that the work of a painter is the light of his soul. As a Jewish painter, my Neshamah (soul in Hebrew) could not but reflect the light of so many teachings about life and Jewish traditions learnt from my parents and Jewish studies. My works are the result of analysis and permanent investigations on themes of Hebrew symbology and kabalistic concepts from where emerge images of the fabric of signs and symbols contained in a web of personal narrations.

The process of creation

After reflecting and investigating each theme, I start the search of materials I could use for my work. Fabrics, specially transparent and laces, give me sensation of antique, of history as well as give transparency and connotation of lightness. Because of this, I generally apply this type of material to the upper part of the composition, leaving an area on the picture where the eye of the observer can find an area of rest as well as rich in textures. On the rest of the work, I would use papers of different textures and specially Israeli periodicals in Hebrew, giving an interesting texture and also a conceptual element. Finally, in my compositions appear important symbols that identify the Jewish culture and at the same time identify me at my most intimate, such as: The city of Jerusalem, The glass of wine, The Challah, The violin, Talit, Hamza, The Jewish wedding, among others. It could be said that these plastic constructions are self-portraits, not because they represent morphologicly my physical characteristic, but because the images created speak of my person in a profund and intimate sense, of my Neshamah.

THE TREE OF LIFE (ETZ HJAIM in Hebrew)

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"And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads." (Genesis 2:8-10).

SHABBAT

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God created the world in six days and rested in the seventh. The Shabbat is the essence and the spirit of Judaism and the only festivity mentioned in the Ten Commandments. The first time is mentioned is in the verses of Bereshit (Genesis II-1-3) where the words that we translated from Exodus XX and include the blessing of the wine, the Kiddush, with which we bless Saturdays. The Shabbat is no only the concept of a day of rest that every man needs in the week, but tries to elevate man to a noble life where there is no preoccupation for sustenance in the daily fight for living that worries the six days of the week. It is tradition that in the Shabbat to prepare a special table and celebrate with the family. In my compositions, said table takes the form of other objects like the silhouette of a violin, an instrument of noble woods and strummed cords, of melancholic voices similar to human's that so identifies with our culture. Next to the table-violin may appear other elements and symbols that are part of our millenary tradition and daily living like the cup for Kiddush, wine, candles and Seder.

GOLDEN JERUSALEM

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"If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy." (Psalms 137:5-6). For the Jewish people, the city is holy by itself. Chosen by God and promised to David, Jerusalem is the center of spiritual and national existence and of Jewish continuity. During it almost 3,000 year existence, since King David and the building of the First Temple by his son Solomon, Jerusalem was the praying and Jewish devotion. Jerusalem is the golden city, is a holy city. To this precious city, mythical, full of magic and sound many songs were written since its origins. In my compositions the silhouette of a violin circling a city in a unique embrace may appear, remembering its musicality, our history.

ARON HAKODESH

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Aaron Hakodesh is Hebrew for "Sacred Ark". When Moses brought the tables of the law for his people, was necessary to protect them and built an ark richly adorned with noble woods, gold and figures. The tables could not remain in the open. Thus a tabernacle in modular form was constructed to be able to travel for a long period through the desert. King David brought the Ark to Jerusalem and gave the sacred character to the city. Later Solomon built the Temple to house the Sacred Ark. In every synagogue there is an Aaron Hakodesh, a sacred ark oriented to Jerusalem. In my paintings I express all those remembrances and experiences of my childhood, of the visits to those old synagogues of the old city of the "Goes" neiborghood in Montevideo, called the Jewish neiborghood, found by our grandparents recently arrived from Europe in the decade of the 20's. In them, I use different textures in the same work, specially a Hebrew newspaper, that more than an interesting texture it represents the daily struggle of our people, our history, an self-portrait.

Bernard Korzeniak

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If you are looking for an investment in fine arts, you are in the correct site, contact me, you will receive your painting at your home in 72 hrs in any place in the world you are.

To contact BERNARD KORZENIAK write to:
bernard.korzeniak@gmail.com

 

___________________

If you are looking for an investment in fine arts, you are in the correct site, contact me, you will receive your painting at your home in 72 hrs in any place in the world you are.

To contact BERNARD KORZENIAK write to:
bernard.korzeniak@gmail.com