Nachum Gutman 1898-1980

Venice, XXIV Esposizione Biennale Internazionale d'Arte, 1948

Slight craquelure on the black tree. Very small spots of paint loss by the right edge. There are a few scattered areas of retouching apparent on the edges when examined under ultra violet light. Overall in very good condition.
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This work has been authenticated by the Gutman Museum, Neve Zedek.

Like the best of Gutman's work from his earlier period, this painting celebrates the agricultural pursuits of European settlers in Eretz Israel during the 1920s and 30s. In keeping with his theme Gutman has chosen to depict the surging vitality of the Jewish pioneer lifestyle - its pastoral landscapes, houses and fruit groves - of the suburb of Neve Tzedek in Tel Aviv, with extensive use of tones of green, blue, red, yellow and orange which lend naivete, harmony and lyricism to the work. While speaking about his experience of the early settlement years, Gutman stated that "... we wished to depict the country's landscapes and their different hues... We sensed that only one thing would bind us together... a love of the landscape... Painting landscapes in sharp, frothy colors." (quoted in Gideon Ofrat, One Hundred Years of Art in Israel, Canada, 1998, p. 48).