Fig. 1. Wheels of Democracy, Yisrael Feldsott, 2006, Mixed Media on Wood Panel, 80x144 in.
This time I had the opportunity to experience a virtual visit to The Mexican Museum at Fort Mason Center. I am not a person who has visited many museums, however, this new activity seemed to me as an enriching experience and an alternative so that there are more people appreciating art, not just the population where the work is located at that time. The painting that struck me is entitled Wheels of Democracy, belonging to the artist Yisrael Feldsott in his collection Chants and Prayers. This was painted in 2006 and is Mixed Media on Wood Panel, relatively large (80 x 144 in). The scene presents at least five naked individuals, being executed by two armed people whose faces cannot be seen. It is a very strong scene as they show faces of terror in addition to already having gunshot wounds on their bodies. It is stated that “Wheels of Democracy suggests Western aid isn't always what it's cracked up to be” (Curiel 2013). It is a very strong work visually, but we must also know that those are scenarios that once happened and somehow can continue to happen.
The Feldsott works featured reflect survival, violence, and death. I can even come to appreciate a certain style of African art. An article titled Return to Light: The End of Yisrael Feldsott's Self-Exile by Jonathan Curiel briefly describes this artwork as "a hellish, wall-sized scene that puts the viewer right in the middle of an execution" (par. 6). Undoubtedly, this painting draws a lot of attention due to the crudeness that can be seen in its iconography, and that was precisely what struck me and made me want to write my blog post about it. It is mentioned that “elements of Edvard Munch's The Scream, a Frida Kahlo Day of the Dead painting, the work of a Yoruba master, and something of Picasso's Guernica” (Curiel 2013). That quote is very true, after looking for the other paintings that he mentions, those definitely have elements that are present in this work by Feldsott.
Fig. 2. The Scream, Edvard Munch, 1893, National Gallery, Munch Museum, Oslo, Norway
Information regarding this author is practically nil in the JSTOR database. However, given the information gathered from other sources, and a bit of analysis on my part towards his painting, I determined that Feldsott's style is very difficult to put into a category. As mentioned above, it has elements similar to different styles of famous painters; one of them is Edvard Munch with his famous artwork, The Scream. That is why I decided to use as keywords in JSTOR: scream, munch; including filters for just journals, and anything related to art and art history.
Following this search, I came across an article entitled Edvard Munch's Dramatic Images 1892-1909 by Carla Lathe. This article talks about Munch's signature style, giving great focus to people's faces and gestures. It is stated that “he distanced himself from conventional reproductions of people’s physiognomy, and tried instead to express their psyche and personality, sometimes exaggerating to stress important features” (Lathe 191). Definitely, this is a characteristic that is also reflected in Feldsott's painting, where individuals show a face of terror and pain at the event they are going through. Yisrael probably considered or took as inspiration details that other artists used in their works, and he put them together and formed his own style.
There is a short 5-minute video entitled "16th Annual LA Art Show 2011 with Yisrael Feldsott" by Rich Girl Network.tv which is an interview with Yisrael Feldsott. It has very interesting information regarding his inspiration, his experiences, and some of his artworks presented in another exhibition:
It is a bit strange experience since it is not common to visit a museum through the screen of a device. However, this time it is necessary due to the pandemic situation we are experiencing. Personally, I would rather go to the museum, to be in front of the artist's work, and capture the tiniest details that are probably not possible to see digitally. I invite you to immerse yourself in art and take advantage of today's technology that allows us such experiences as a virtual tour of a museum.
Works Cited:
Curiel, Jonathan. "Return to Light: The End of Yisrael Feldsott's Self-Exile." SFWeekly, 7
Aug. 2013, https://www.sfweekly.com/culture/return-to-light-the-end-of-yisrael-feldsotts-
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