The Bigger Picture

VIVID INNOCENCE The first thing one notices about an Esther Zibell oil painting is the color: the intense blue of a summer sky the rich red hues of a vase of flowers contrasted with the snowy-white head covering of a woman kindling the Shabbos lights. The unadulterated tones are reminiscent of a child’s palette of primary colors a world of innocence where joy reigns supreme (Photos: INFO NEEDED)

T he light rail station sign on Yafo Road may say Machaneh Yehudah but inside the nearby Saidoff art gallery it feels more like Paris than Jerusalem. French is the language of choice. Women greet each other with the classic kiss on both cheeks. And of course there’s the art the reason why we’ve come — paintings bursting with color energy and life.

Darting in and out between the invited guests is the artist herself Esther Zibell who greets friend and stranger alike with a dazzling smile. The opening of a new exhibit is a big event in any artist’s life but for Zibell the night is doubly sweet because she and her husband have just made aliyah. It’s actually the Zibells’ second go at making it in Eretz Yisrael. The first time they moved to Tzfas which is home to a famous Artists’ Quarter they were starry-eyed parents of a growing family; now the children are grown up and have families of their own. But if Zibell’s art is any indication she never really left Tzfas — the city of dreams and spiritual yearnings she can once again call home.

Color Wise

The first thing one notices about an Esther Zibell oil painting is the color: the intense blue of a summer sky the rich red hues of a vase of flowers contrasted with the snowy-white head covering of a woman kindling the Shabbos lights. The unadulterated tones are reminiscent of a child’s palette of primary colors a world of innocence where joy reigns supreme.