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Yosef Ostrovsky  (1935, Shepetovka, Ukraine - 1993, Jerusalem)

Studied: In 1955 he graduated from the Odessa State Academy of Art, Department of Painting.


Since 1989, Yosef Ostrovsky lived and worked in Israel


He was the chief artist of the city of Sderot.


Member of the International Association of Art.


Graduated from the Odessa State Academy of Art.


Exhibitions: In Russia, Ukraine, USA, Canada, England, Italy, Germany, Hungary, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Japan, and Israel.


Yosef Ostrovsky's works can be found in  museums and private art collections in Israel, Russia, USA and other countries.

MORE ABOUT THE ARTIST...

(1935-1993) A window into the life and works of Yosef Ostrovsky.

Yosef
Ostrovsky is one of the best and most renowned of the Odessa artists;
indeed his name continues to be a symbol of Odessa art in the second
half of the twentieth century. It is easy to recognize his works at
first glance as they are both joyous and sad at the same time. Indeed,
these works contain the expression of the very essence of the soul of
the Jewish people. His paintings can be found in renowned museums,
galleries and private art collections throughout the world .

Born
in 1935 in the Ukraine, Ostrovsky’s artistic talents surfaced at an
early age. He graduated from the Odessa State Academy of Art at the age
of 20 and ten years later was appointed to the highly prestigious Union
of Artists of the USSR. Ostrovsky’s
early paintings include landscapes, still lifes, and family portraits.
He quickly attained regional recognition. His renown spread to a
national level as he participated in countrywide and international
exhibitions. Established artists and writers frequently visited
Ostrovsky’s studio, to exchange views and find inspiration. Yosef
Ostrovsky always rejected definitions of his style or himself in
standard terms and did not find value in "stylistic classifications".


He was known to state, "I am an artist. Not a 'classical artist', not a 'modern
artist'. Just an artist. Only then I am free to express my philosophy
on canvas".

Ostrovsky
also rejected the label of “Jewish artist”. Nevertheless, his Jewish
identity was the force behind his most important works.

These paintings
were produced between the 1970’s and 1990’s when he became influenced
by early childhood memories of his Jewish heritage. He brought to life
his grandfather’s prayer shawl and his mother’s lighting Sabbath
candles. Images began forming in his mind, and he started to sketch and
paint Jewish themes. As
he recalled the sights and symbols of his Jewish heritage, Yosef Ostrovsky painted one painting after another. These paintings became
the basis of his famous "Jewish cycle”, which included mainly portraits: Jewish musicians of the shtetl, craftsmen, Jewish sages… and
topical paintings that are based on motifs of Torah and Tanach.

He produced a wealth of simple, yet poignant works, so beautifully colored, so full of light, so very full of the Jewish soul.

Initially,
these pictures were kept hidden away in the artist’s studio. With
Perestroika came the opportunity for Ostrovsky to bring these works
“out of the closet” so that his many admirers throughout the world
could enjoy them.

As Ostrovsky said regarding his “Jewish Cycle”: "Eternal
themes concern everyone. The language of art and feeling knows no
borders. The more deeply you penetrate the soul of your own nation, the
more understandable your art becomes to other nations."

© Yosef Ostrovsky's Family. All rights reserved. Images are not to be copied, used, transmitted, modified, reproduced or published without the artist's written permission.