flower artwork ARTIST BOOK ISRAELI MODERN CONTEMPORARY ART (2022) Disegno da Raphael Perez

Artist Books by Raphael Perez: The Influence of Children’s Paintings on an Adult Artist


Perez has also a series of artist books that deal with the influence of children’s paintings on an adult artist. These are sketch books that contain drawings, paintings, collages, and writings that reflect his artistic process and inspiration. He uses these books as a way of exploring his spontaneity as a mature artist, his desire to return to being innocent like children, and his connection to his inner child.

In these artist books, Perez draws inspiration from the works of children, especially his own childhood drawings. He admires the freedom, imagination, and joy that children express in their art. He tries to emulate their style and approach by using simple lines, shapes, and colors. He also incorporates elements from children’s art such as animals, flowers, stars, suns, houses, and people. He mixes these elements with his own personal symbols and themes, urban landscapes, religious icons, and abstract forms

Perez’s artist books are not only a visual expression of his artistic journey, but also a philosophical and psychological exploration of his identity and emotions. He uses these books as a way of communicating with himself and others. He writes about his thoughts, feelings, experiences, and dreams. He also writes about his artistic influences, challenges, and goals. He questions his role as an artist and a human being. He reflects on his spirituality, and culture. He expresses his hopes, fears, joys, and sorrows.

Perez’s artist books are a testimony of his artistic evolution and experimentation. They show how he has developed his own unique style and voice by combining elements from different sources and genres. They also show how he has used art as a tool for self-discovery and self-expression. They reveal his inner world and invite the viewer to share it with him.

Perez’s artist books are an example of how an adult artist can learn from children’s paintings and use them as a source of inspiration and creativity. They demonstrate how an adult artist can rediscover his spontaneity and innocence by drawing like a child. They illustrate how an adult artist can connect with his inner child and express it through art.

Raphael Perez, also known as Rafi Peretz, is an Israeli painter who
explores his personal and sexual identity through his flower paintings. He created a series of flower paintings from 1995 to 1998, when he was in his early thirties and still in relationships with women, despite feeling gay. His flower paintings reflect his emotional turmoil and his struggle with his sexual orientation. He painted two flowers, one blooming and one wilting, to represent the contrast and conflict between his heterosexual relationships and his true self. He also painted single flowers or two flowers in their prime, to express his longing for a harmonious relationship that matches his nature. He chose sunflowers, white lilies, and red lilies as symbols of expression, purity, and joy, respectively. He painted from real flowers, using different styles and light to create drama and mood. Perez’s paintings of the flower couples are minimalist and focused on the theme of the complex relationship. He omitted any background or context, leaving only the canvas and the drawing of the flower couples. In some of the paintings, he added a very airy abstract surface with thin oil paints that give an atmosphere of watercolors. He also made drawings of flowers in ink, markers and gouache on paper. Later on, he created large acrylic paintings of flowers and still life. Perez’s flower paintings are not mere illustrations or decorations. They are autobiographical and psychological expressions of his inner state and his struggle with his sexuality. He wanted to reveal his loneliness, distress and concealment through these paintings, and to connect with people who are in a similar situation. He deliberately chose only two flowers and no more to intensify the engagement in the charged and complex relationship. Perez also painted and drew couples of men and women with charged psychological states, as well as states of desire for connection and realization of a heterosexual relationship that did not succeed. He used hyperrealism and expressive styles to convey his frozen and calculated state, as well as his mental stress. He used harsh lighting to create contrast and drama, with one side very bright and the other side darker. Perez was influenced by some of the famous artists who painted flowers, such as Van Gogh, who also used sunflowers as a symbol of expression. He also used white lilies and red lilies to convey freshness, cleanliness, purity, color, joy, movement, eruption, and splendor. Perez also painted some single flowers or two flowers in their prime, to show his aspiration for a future where he will have a harmonious relationship. Today, he is 58 years old and in a happy relationship for 10 years with his partner Assaf Henigsberg. He is surrounded by female friends and soulmates and not conflicted with heterosexual relationships as he used to be. He occasionally paints flowers in pots to symbolize home, stability, and peace. Sometimes I paint flowers in pots, which represent home, stability, and solid ground for me. I don’t paint just a couple of flowers, but pots full of flowers that overflow with life. This means that we also have a supportive network of family, friends, and peers around us. We live in a rich, supportive, and protective world. These paintings are a personification of my psychological state, when I had no words to express my feelings to myself. The painting began In 35 years of my creation (starting in 1998), you can read more about how my art and style evolved over time. Perez’s flower paintings are a unique and extraordinary artistic creation that reveals his personal journey and his sexual identity. His work is honest, expressive, and emotional, as well as beautiful and vibrant.

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