Moshe Mokady

Moshe Mokady
Then by descent to the present owner

Tel Aviv, Gordon Gallery, Moshe Mokady: Selected Works, 1923-1973, 2010, p. 19, illustrated in color in the exhibition catalogue and on the cover

The canvas is lined. Good condition. Bright, clear colors. Scattered areas of light craquelure. Scattered areas of retouching, particularly upper half of canvas and left edge, as well as one spot on her cheek and a few small spots on her neck.
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In the present lot, Mokady captures the iconic actress, Hanna Rovina's, commanding presence through his dynamic composition and bold colors. He places her in the immediate foreground and focuses on her dramatic expression, evoking the traditions of the Viennese Expressionists. Irith Hadar explains "In Moshe Mokady's view, art was meant to represent an emotional and spiritual reality that transcended the particularities of time of place. The expressive means he employed in his early work reflect the aesthetic values that he had absorbed during his studies in Vienna and Zurich, which were derived from German painting. These values centered upon choosing an image, depicting its external attributes as representing psychological content, and processing the image into a meticulously finished art object." (Mordechai Omer, ed., Highlights from The Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Tel Aviv, 2005, p. 256)

One of the founding members of the Moscow Habimah Theater Company, Hanna Rovina achieved fame and glory with her portrayal of Leah in their 1922 production of The Dybbuk . She arrived in Palestine in 1928 with the company, establishing herself as the leading actress in the Hebrew theatre.  Rovina was awarded the Israel Prize for Theater Arts in 1956. She died in 1980.