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Press Art Reviews 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. These atmospheric pieces are among 20 of Korzeniak's paintings and paper-fabric collages on display at the Embassy of Uruguay through Sept.28. "I use Hebrew newspapers in collages," said Korzeniak in a phone interview before the opening, "because they lend a deeper, stronger symbolism to the theme I'm rendering." He has incorporated the mystical world of kabaalah into his art, his depiction of fish inside other fish he explains, reflects the infinite nature of life. He calls these luminous, but non pictoral designs "autorretratos" or self portraits. Descended from Polish and Romanian Jews who emigrated in the 1920's. His work has crossed borders before with shows at galleries in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in 1997 and a special commission from Argentina. 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. When not doing art, Korzeniak tends his day job as a professor of art and graphic design at ORT University of Uruguay.
Directive Representatives of the Jewish community of Uruguay, giving a painting of the artist Bernard Korzeniak titled "Resurgence" to directors of AMIA Argentina in commemoration of the reconstruction of the building few at years of the attack.
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. ARTSPEAK NEW YORK Bernardo Korzeniak, a painter from Uruguay,is a painter of serene, subtly harmonized images that bespeak a truly holistic world view. His abstractions, still lives, and figure paintings are limned in softly blended earth colors and their forms are rhythmically balanced to be, above all, pleasing to the eye. Korzeniak is obviously an artist who believes in the eternal values of traditional easel painting, yet it is also obvious that his inspiration comes directly from life, rather than from the influences of art history. Korzeniak is a consummate formalist, with a love for sensual shapes and subdued colors reminiscent of the cubists he obviously admires, even while breaking beyond their rectangular constraints to introduce a more varied visual vocabulary. Whether painting ample nudes or elegant room setting of flirting with total abstraction, Bernardo Korzeniak compels the viewer through his unusual ability to codify every subject, organizing its various components into an ultimate satisfying composition. «See», his work seems to be telling us, «the world truly is manageable!». His is a sensibility commited totally to symmetry, to a sense of beauty which has largely departed from much contemporary art, which he reintroduces with seeming effortlessness and can make us believe is achievable through the sheer conviction of his approach. One Should always be Thankful for artist such as Bernardo Korzeniak, who renew our faith in a final harmony, a unified world, a dream of oneness.
ARTSPEAK NEW YORK, Jan 98
The work of Korzeniak, talented Uruguayan artist, reminiscent of that of the early Picasso. He paints in an angular way, yet his subject still retains their sense of voluptuousness, and sensuality. He combines the pure painting with beautiful effeminate objects, such as lace, to make the picture even more intimate. What is lace, and what comes to mind looking at it? Lace is fine, lace is made by woman, lace is used to beautify, lace is used to conceal, but Bernardo´s lace reveals. His application of lace is also reference to the past, a kind of nostalgia. He also uses gauze, paper, etc? to apply to his colorful canvases to enhance the picture plain. Korzeniak, although so young, is already represented by museum, and numerous exhibitions throughout his country as well as Europe and the USA. His work is in public and private collections.Both of these young artist in the present exhibition are very ambitious and talented. We are looking forward to seeing more of their work as their promising continue. AMADEUS Gallery.
Bernardo Korzeniak, an artist from Uruguay who is being featured in Papp Gallery __________________________________________________________________________________ |
