' Le Marché ' - The Market (2006) Painting by Israel Isaac Besancon

Israel Isaac was born 1944 in Nice, France. At age 16, upon reading about a Chagall exhibit, he became inspired to paint and express himself through this art genre. He has been painting in his own unique, evolving style ever since.
Expression through art also led Israel Isaac on a spiritual quest, resulting in his eventual adoption of Jewish Hassidic philosophy and practice and its influence on his art. Today, after decades of painting and after having achieved a notable level of Hassidic mastery, the fusion of these two realms has been realised through unparalleled depth, symbolism, joy and hope inherent in his art.
Israel Isaac may be said to belong to the Ecole de Paris, having followed on and learned from that generation of artists. He is one of a handful of contemporary artists – the likes of Raanan, Sorkin, Benaroche, Nachshon -- who have continued in the tradition of Chagall but each developed his own style. Despite the greater prominence of some of the others, Israel Isaac’s art, to the connoisseur, stands out as being especially significant, in that every one of his paintings and every element therein is a colourful and highly symbolic expression of a deeply rooted spiritual belief and, often, the product of a personal experience in his own spiritual metamorphosis.
At first, in his teens, Israel Isaac –- an autodidact -- taught himself to paint, discovering a natural talent and affinity for this pursuit. At age 20, he moved to Paris, where he exhibited in various venues, opened a gallery, and underwent more formal training. People bought his art, and he expanded sales to Belgium.
In the 1970’s Israel Isaac was discovered by, and taken under the wing of, a Californian patron. He branched into illuminated manuscripts, producing many beautiful works including Megillot and excerpts from the liturgy and Book of Psalms. In the 80‘s he completed a unique project whose development had spanned twelve years – an extraordinary Passover Haggadah, now in private hands, which was also re-produced in a limited edition that completely sold out and can be found in private collections in the US, Belgium, France, and elsewhere.
In keeping with the tenets of his Hassidic outlook and way of life, Israel Isaac — unlike the stardom sought by many other artists and their promoters — has preferred to not engage in self-promotion of his art. His priority and focus has been not commercial gain or personal prominence, but rather the humble fulfilment, through art, of a spiritual calling, a self expression that he feels is his true mission. Chagall had been perhaps the first artist to try to “paint the Jewish soul.” Prior to him, most Jewish art had taken a more conventional form of biblical characters and scenes. Chagall’s innovative breakthrough in style had triggered Israel Isaac’s own journey into the depths and expanses of his own soul and their interpretation through an art form unique to him. Where other artists — including the well-regarded...

• Nationality: ISRAEL
• Date of birth : unknown date
• Artistic domains: Represented by a Gallery,
• Groups: Contemporary Israeli Artists Artists presented by a gallery