"Chant of the Long Journey - Brother We Carry You on to the Other Shore" 2008, mixed media on board, 80"W x 54"H © YISRAEL K. FELDSOTT Courtesy of the artist and Paul Mahder Gallery

      Once a person decides to take more than a passing interest in a culture quite different from their own, that person's philosophy and values are likely to be changed forever--often for the better. At age 24, Chicago-born artist Yisrael K. Feldsott decided to begin his extensive travels through Central and South America. His most recent works, currently on exhibition at the personable and upscale Paul Mahder Gallery, provide us with a visual pulse of Feldsott's response to the traditions, folklore, and daily events he observed and encountered in this new culture. His exhibition consists of oil paintings on wood panels and mixed media on paper.

"Untitled Painting with Bird" 2008, mixed media on board, 32"W x 40"H © YISRAEL K. FELDSOTT Courtesy of the artist and Paul Mahder Gallery

      One of the most successful paintings, "Chant of the Long Journey - Brother We Carry You on to the Other Shore", is an 80" x 54" mixed media piece, whose commanding presence immediately invites viewers to examine this work from several distances. As three ghostlike figures sit almost bird-like on the ground, they hold the body of their fallen comrade above their head, as if delivering him to the next phase or Afterlife. With only small birds as mourners, Feldsott's masterful use of clay tones and muted red immediately elevates this simple scene to one of regal importance, as if a simple commoner were being given a treatment usually reserved for an emperor or king.

-- James L. Weaver, MFA

James L. Weaver is an artist and writer living in the Bay Area. Visit his web page at:
gimmesomeart.blogspot.com

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