Maya Bloch

Mixmedia on canvas, 150 x 120 cm. 2009
Photo: Sigal Kolton

In his book The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde reinforces the power of the portrait painting. The person depicted in the portrait utilizes the painting to extend the boundaries of control, and the picture becomes the tool by which he hides his true self and the depth of his deception.

In contrast to this well-known story, the artist Bloch extracts the soul of the portrait's subject in her paintings. There is only a hint of facial expressions; the monochromatic colors and bold smudges of white and red portray the figures' characteristics. The background highlights the relations between them, and erases the identity of the place. The painting becomes a testimony that is beyond time.