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Aharon Messeg 1942, Baghdad, Iraq - 2018, Israel Nocturnal Landscape with a Path through the Shadows Original Hand-Signed Watercolor - circa 1990s This watercolor by Aharon Messeg is a classic example of his lyrical abstraction, where the physical
features of the Galilee landscape serve as a springboard for a deeply
psychological study of light and form. Description The composition is anchored by a
massive, sweeping dark form—likely a willow or a dense thicket—that arches over
the left and center. This heavy indigo and black wash creates a
"canopy" effect, providing a sense of enclosure.
- Technique: Messeg utilizes his signature wet-on-wet watercolor method
on heavy, deckled-edge paper. The dark pigments bleed into deep purples at
the edges, suggesting movement and an almost liquid atmosphere.
- The Path: To the right, a diagonal "pathway" or open space is
rendered in muted greys and ochres. This area is framed by a sudden,
vibrant vertical sliver of yellow-green on the far right, which acts as a
"light source" or a point of exit from the shadowed grove.
- Contrast: The work relies on the tension between the dense, "heavy"
foliage and the translucent, light-filled opening. It captures the
specific moment of transition—stepping out from the shadow of the trees
into the open light.
Central Themes
of the Artwork 1. The Sanctuary of the Grove
Messeg often treated the forest not as
a place of danger, but as a sanctuary. The theme here is protection and
enclosure. The large dark mass feels like a protective weight, offering a
quiet, shaded retreat from the harsh Mediterranean sun.
2. Transition and Hope
The diagonal movement from the dark
left to the bright yellow sliver on the right explores the theme of transition.
It is a visual metaphor for moving through darkness toward light, a common
motif in Messeg’s work following his move to the Northern Galilee.
3. The "Spirit" of Place
Rather than documenting a specific
coordinate, Messeg is painting the memory of a landscape. The theme is
the distillation of nature into its core energies: the weight of a tree, the
coolness of the shade, and the sudden warmth of the light.
Artist Name: Aharon Messeg
Title: Nocturnal Landscape with a Path through the Shadows
Signature Description: Hand-signed in Hebrew lower right
Technique: Watercolor on paper
Image Size: 19 x 21 cm / 7.48" x 8.27" inch
Frame: Matted and framed
Condition: Very good condition. Artist's Biography:
Aharon Messeg, Israeli painter, born Iraq,
1942-2018
Aharon Messeg was born in Baghdad, Iraq, in 1942.
His father, Abdullah Gabbay, was an elite tailor for the children of British
government officials and the Iraqi-based population.
Already in his childhood he began to paint as an autodidact.
In 1951 the family immigrated to Israel and lived in a transit camp, leaving
their property behind. After that, Messeg was educated at Kibbutz Amir, in
Rehovot, and finally in Tel Aviv. Messeg studied in the "evening
studies" program at a new high School and worked as a clerk in the
Histadrut's executive committee. After his military service he married the poet
Sabena Messeg and moved to the village of Hemed.
Messag's early work, from the 1970s, is of a symbolic nature, and emphasizes
the use of symbols such as fish, birds and more. Beginning in the 1980s, he
focused on semi-abstract landscapes. Aharon
Messeg was born in 1942 in Baghdad, Iraq.
He immigrated with his family to Israel in 1951 and already started painting as
a young boy.
However, he has never studied art formally.
Messeg is married to the poet Sabina Messeg, whose family immigrated from
Bulgaria. Both chose to live far away from the big city and the vibrant art
scene.
Over thirty years the couple lived in the Moshav Hemed, where they grew organic
vegetables, chickens and goats, and made their living there. They also had a
house in Safed Old Quarter, where they stayed part of the time.
When the area of Hemed became too noisy and centralized, they decided in 1995
to settle down in Klil village in the Western Galilee.
Messeg then had a stroke, and found it difficult to function. He had times of
depression, and the couple rented a house in Tel Aviv to cheer him up, but to
no avail. In the end, Messeg decided to go back to Klil alone, and Sabina
rented an apartment in Kibbutz Ginosar. Two years later, his state of health
deteriorated, and Sabina came to Klil to help him.
Once his medical condition stabilized, he also returned to painting, and the
couple moved to Kibbutz Ginosar, where they received the house in which lived
Yigal Allon. His Work
Messeg is one of Israel's leading painters who works
with oils and watercolors and creates images which are a fusion of elements of
inner and outer landscape.
Highly influenced by Arie Aroch's 60's body of work, Messeg's images evoke
organic overtones accentuating vibrant color and joyful imagery. In the late '60s and during the seventies Messeg focused on the
creation of images taken from village life and the imagination, worn and
removed different forms. Sometimes the characters were human figures, and frequently
birds, fish and other naive characters. The characters were drawn closed in
sharp outlines, sometimes collided and burst into each other.
The figures were generally drawn on a background of colored squares in warm
tones of pure colors. The layers of paint were thick, made with a knife, and
then Messeg used stylus into the paint to give it depth. While the images
retain a certain naivete, they are not exaggeratedly naive.
Messeg said on these paintings that he used to withdraw and draw visions. He said
that the importance of the issue for him is secondary, since the starting point
is the colored stain.
In the late '70s the primitive motif began to disappear from his paintings and
the dense colorfulness gave way to a more monochromatic atmosphere, however the
dynamics of the brushstrokes and color rather increased.
Solo exhibitions
1967 Jean Tiroche Gallery, Jaffa
1969 Aharon Messeg – 69, Engel Gallery, Jerusalem
1972 Messeg - Oil Paintings, The Livik House Gallery, Tel
Aviv
Sitra Gallery, 97 Ben-Yehuda St.
Tel-Aviv
1975 Tel Aviv Museum of Art
1979 Gordon Gallery, Tel Aviv
1984 Messeg, Gordon Gallery, Tel Aviv
1986 Aharon Messeg - Recent Works, Gordon Gallery, Tel Aviv
1987 Cabri Gallery of Contemporary Art, Kibbutz Cabri
1990 Messeg, Gordon Gallery, Tel Aviv
1995 Messeg – Watercolours, Gordon Gallery, Tel Aviv
2001 Aharon Messeg - Selection of Paintings, Gordon Gallery, Tel Aviv
2005 Aharon Messeg: At the End of Thought, The Open Museum, Tefen Industrial
Park
2008 Aharon Messeg - Watercolors, Gordon Gallery, Tel Aviv
2020 To See Barefoot, Kupferman Collection Museum of Art, Kibbutz
Lohamei Hagetaot.
Selected Group Exhibitions
2020 Visual Field, Kupferman Collection Museum of Art, Kibbutz
Lohamei Hagetaot
2019 If you create a Masterpiece your Name will live forever, Art Bouquet
Gallery, Tel Aviv
2014 Lyrical? - Not Necessarily: Israeli Abstract Art in the Dubi Shiloah
Collection, Open University Gallery, Dorothy De Rothschild Open University
Campus, Raanana
2013 Man and Landscape, Omer Open Museum
2009 Lost Little Worlds, Gordon Gallery, Tel Aviv
2008 Plants, Gordon Gallery, Tel Aviv
Group Exhibition, Gordon
Gallery, Tel Aviv
Summer Group Exhibition, Gordon
Gallery, Tel Aviv
Group Collection Exhibition, Yair
Art Gallery, Tel Aviv
Israeli, The Search for
Identity, Stern Gallery, Tel Aviv
2007 Collective, Gordon Gallery, Tel Aviv
From the Collection, Gordon
Gallery, Tel Aviv
2007 Group Exhibition: Home, Gordon Gallery, Tel Aviv
2005 Works on Paper, Gordon Gallery, Tel Aviv
2000 Hamishkan Le'omanut, Beth Meirov, Holon
1991 Israeli Art Month, Jerusalem Theater, Jerusalem
1987 Etchings, Debel Gallery, Ein Kerem, Jerusalem
1986 There Are No Bad Animals: Animals as Motif in Works of Art, Mobile
Group Exhibition, Man and the Living World Museum, Ramat Gan
1983 Yad Labanim Museum, Petach-Tikva
1982 Yad Labanim Museum, Petach-Tikva
1980 Retrospective 1966-1980, , Gordon Gallery, Tel Aviv
1969 Art Festival, Painting & Sculpture in Israel, The Exhibition
Grounds, Tel Aviv
1967 General Exhibition, Art in Israel, Tel Aviv Art Museum
Artists in Israel for the Defense, Tel
Aviv Museum of Art, Helena Rubinstein Pavilion. Payment Methods: PayPal, Credit Card (Visa, Mastercard), Bank Cheque. If you wish to send a personal cheque, please note that the item will not be shipped until the cheque clears. Shipping&Handling: All items are sent through registered mail or by EMS - Fast delivery service, both operated by the Israel Post (up to 4-5 business days), depends on the weight and measures of the purchased item. You may add insurance for the item with an additional fee. Please e-mail us for other shipping methods. Combined Shipping: We will combine shipping and packaging to minimize costs and help you save on orders with multiple items. In case that the frame includes a glass, the item will be shipped without the glass in order to prevent any damage to the artwork caused by broken glass: be aware that such kind of a damage is not covered by the insurance! Terms of Auction: All sales are final, please only bid if you intend to pay. Refunds will be accepted only if the item is not as described in the auction. ISRAELI BUYERS MUST ADD 18% V.A.T. TO THE FINAL PRICE. Artshik provides full assurance that all items sold are exactly as described! We guarantee all items we sell are 100% authentic! |
