able reprints of this photo, as well
as the angelic figures based on
Albrecht Durer's famous engraving,
Melancholia, now iconic images, stem
from my personal memories.
The boy is my alter ego, and Durer's
strange angel represents for me a mes-
senger from elsewhere. I paint angels
who might promise salvation but also
suggest inefficiency; others disclose
their vulnerability or hint at a lurking
disappointment. All must conserve
their magic.
Q: Your style is described as being
evocative of Albrecht Durer and
Salvador Dali. Is that so?
A: "Art is always born from art"
is a timeless concept. Durer and
Dali, together with Giotto, Bellini,
Bruegel, Rembrandt, Cezanne, Picasso,
Schwitters, Rauschenberg and many
other artists, taught me to endorse
this.
My so-called "style" is to try to
create paintings that are conceptual
arrangements of a different yet famil-
iar reality. The pictorial language I've
chosen is realism, based on the can-
ons of classical art, or the art of the
Renaissance.
Q: How do you achieve that
unquenchable human spirit reso-
nating throughout your art?
A: My artistic journey isn't an intel-
lectual one. First, I paint. Only later
do I figure out what's emerging on
my canvas, try to understand it and
what improvements it needs for future
onlookers to comprehend and enjoy it.
I guess that having survived the
Shoah gave me a special sense of priv-
ilege. I've developed a great appetite
for life and the images I create strive
for a physical beauty.
Q: You have lived, studied and
worked in several countries — a
veritable Wandering Jew. Has that
defined and refined your vision of
the world your artwork reveals?
A: The true roots of one's personal-
ity come from the very early period of
one's life — when you really discover
the world. Later come many, very piv-
otal experiences.
The fact that wherever I go, I do
feel at home yet, at the same time,
remain a stranger gives me a wonder-
ful sense of distance — in art, of very
great value. It sharpens the means
of observation. It's a privilege to be a
Wandering Jew.
Q: Do you seek out objects in your
personal experiences and life
observations to inspire you, or do
you just recognize their potential?
A: In today's world, the family of
man is going through very hard times.
This isn't new I keep my eyes wide
open. My conscience makes me react
to what I observe, and my fingers seize
the brushes. Then I search for the
metaphors that carry the meanings to
express my dismay.
Q: You began expressing your love
of art as a child prodigy. Did you
ever doubt this was the route you
should pursue?
A: I never doubted it. In the best
and in the worst circumstances of my
life, I always felt the overwhelming
need of creating images. It was always
in me, like a scream that was pressing
for deliverance. It never occurred to
me that I could do anything else.
Q: What advice do you have for
fledgling artists?
A: To become an artist — or not
— has always been a very difficult
decision to make, and the chances to
succeed in the field of fine arts are
very meager.
But this isn't a question that one
should ponder over. An artist is that
individual doomed to pursue this
career, the one who feels the certitude
that this is his, or her, only way lead-
ing to survival and life.
Q: What new artwork are you
planning in the near future?
A: Adam and Eve have invaded my
studio, searching for some remains of
their imagined or lost paradises.
❑
Robyn Gorell is vice president of Marx
Layne & Co. in Farmington Hills.
"Icons of Loss: The Art of Samuel Bak" runs May 23-Aug. 15 at the
Holocaust Memorial Center Zekelman Family Campus, 28123 Orchard
Lake Road, in Farmington Hills. The exhibit opens 7 p.m. Sunday, May
23, with a reception open to the public. Hours are 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. (last
admission at 3:30 p.m.) Sundays-Thursdays and 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. (last
admission at 1:30 p.m.) Fridays. The museum is closed on Saturdays.
(248) 553-2400; www.holocaustcenter.org .
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Summer Memberships
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