Musical Timing,Miri Krymolowski
More lively, More Fleshy, More Dynamic , Adi Cristi
Berlin, Brauner, Elron – Jewish Surrealism In Germany , Héctor Martínez Sanz
A Surrealist Act: A German At The Court Of King David , Martin Schneider
En La Madriguera De Elron, Héctor Martínez Sanz
Las Travesuras De Baruch Elron, Diego Vadillo López
El Mundo Magico De Baruch Elron, Miriam Or
El Israelismo De Baruch Elron, Daniel Cahana Levenshon
Esto No Es Un Canto De Pájaro (La Imagen Del Pájaro En La Obra De Baruch Elron), Daniel Cahana Levenshon
“He constructs a bridge between the worlds of the West and of the East. Baruch Elron uses a language which borrows vocabulary from Judeo-Christian mystique and symbols. He owes his mode of expression, to a great extent, to Italian Renaissance style. The artist succeeds in shaping the image of a personal reality, one which penetrates the viewer and which the viewer must accept. Yet, this does not provide him with an escape hatch. Elron’s works are accessible, through their meaningful content, to the viewer as much as they are to the artist himself. Thus the artist shows a profoundly human path, one full of hope and optimism.” (Museum Hamm, Germany, 1981)
“Whoever considers Elron to be a historical painter has misunderstood his work, not only because of the occasional appearance of 20th century themes in his paintings. Arrogance, deceit, sex, despondency and many other human experiences are represented in his paintings, which are relevant and purely human. Pleasures of colour and coquetry, of silk, feathers and seashells, they all entice this painter and are given an allegorical meaning. Elron – a social critic or an intellectual?” (Museum Hamm, Germany, 1982)
“He is the first to laugh at his own mad inspiration. Through a series of judiciously chosen and ironically placed details, he keeps on sending a conspirative wink towards the spectator.” (Paul Ide, Tendance, France, 1983)
“It is the very discovery of an artist who, in spite of having followed so many influences, has succeeded, thanks to the richness of his imagination and of his dreams, in creating a body of work which is personal, luscious, surprising, sometimes troubling, perhaps even sad or worrisome but always savaged by a wink or irony which prevents us from taking it too tragically. Dream nothing but dutifully delirious dreams which, had you or I had in us the tiny bit of a poet possessed by the indispensable grain of madness, we could have dreamed ourselves.” (Pierre Brissot, L’Oeil, France, 1984)
“A dreamlike quality and an illusion to the erotic, rather than the erotic itself, are at the foundation of each of the works; the metamorphoses and the myths are, if you will, the encrypted, yet clear language of the collective thought of the humanity… Elron has, no doubt, hit the nail of suspended time on its head; by provoking reflection, he compels the viewers to reassemble their spirit, to become, once more, coherent.” (Bertrandt Duplessis, L’Information, France, 1984)
“Baruch Elron´s works are executed with surprising virtuosity, mixing symbols and allegories, Biblical references and mythological allusions. Nothing is better drawn nor painted than his imaginary characters: his bearded old sages, his tender virgins, his brids, his magic fruit, his landscapes of mountain and desert.” (Stephane Rey, La Libre Belgique, Belgium, 1987)
“Painting `old style´, like Baruch Elron does at Amilys’s (until the 15th), requires not only infinite attention to detail and infallibly meticulous execution…which does not prevent the composition from being modernly structured, leaning toward Surrealism. Nor does it exclude the incorporation of contemporary elements, ones which make for a certain sense of alienation. The ancient and the modern always and up living harmoniously side by side, though individual partis pris may be virulent.”( Arts, Critiques, Auctions, Belgium, 1987)
“The meditative character of the paintings and the gamut of brilliantly executed tones give life to a world populated with complex beings, the richness of silk and jewels, a mystical universe. In short, with the passage from sordid to laughable, from irony to cheerfulness.” (Simone Guirandou-N’Diaye, Fraternité Matin, Ivory Coast, 1987)
“Elron’s paintings force the viewer to ask questions about the depicted contents, elicit a verbal description of his visual language, but that is debatable. Take for instance the painting of a blue “Adam” wearing a gas mask, a part of whose hip is missing, and of an “Eve” also missing some body parts, whose head is being turned by the hand of God descending from heaven. On the other hand, points commonalty with postmodernism can also be found in his paintings, in the multiplicity of layers and eclecticism.” (Michal Karpik, Yediot Achronot, Israel, 1990)
“With his fantastic-realistic style, by paying attention to everything that takes place around him, he continues to ponder upon the complexity of the human psyche, the secret of existence and the accessibility of death. A philosopher-painter possessed by energy and powerful vitality. The Surrealist line, which uses symbolic codes, at the same time collective and personal, befits this painter. He paints the illusion of existence through a small bubble, a preliminary egg, inconsequential and yet the source of everything. Life seen through the mirror of death, growth and decay. Even the areas that appear the sprightliest have a terminal undertone to them. Bloom always seems restricted, restrained, man made. (…) Lust and sexuality emerge in this world as carnival of maskes and roles. Love is being acted like a play and nobody knows it. Christian “vanitas” or “memento mori” regain their original meaning in Elron’s work. And yet the visual language is different – “memento mori” is expressed by a pair of women’s underwear next to a telephone booth, by what is left after the fact. Symbols of an ancient historical heritage are painted alongside ordinary everyday objects, a baroque Mona Lisa next to an electricity outlet. All along the way, there is a fear of loss of identity, of being conquered by computerized man, man dependent on times, gazing through an empty mask, eating butterflies and cooking flowers. In reality, this man destroys his own self, his “self2 beauty. An intelligent show, one which puts forward a difficult message for the discerning and the open-minded people.” (Dorit Kedar, Al Hamishmar, Israel, 1990)
“Each one of his paintings inspires a meditation on life, death, the human lot in life, on the drudgery and absurdity of the existence, inherent injustices – not the least among which there is the gradual loss of vitality, even as we gain wisdom, only to pass away into nothingness. His dreams on canvas brings to the surface the subconscious, frustrated wishes, banishes thoughts, concealed sadness. Yet, also faith in the interminable chain of being, in rebirth of the human beings and of nature.” (Martha Cohen, Tribuna, Israel, 1996)
“In addition to being an artist, he is a philosopher, one who subordinates his brush to the expression of his ideas and view of the world. In the present shoe, which Elron entitled “Beyond Words”, he exhibits 15 paintings, whose subject matters are taken from the myths of Genesis, Noah’s flood, Babel’s tower, the sacrifice of Isaac, Mount Sinai, the conquest of Jericho, the stories of Samson, Jonah and Jeremiah. But Elron goes further and deeper, giving to the events and characters contemporary interpretations.” (Paul Leibovici, Viata Noastra,Israel, 1997)
“His paintings reflect pain and irony, past and present, love and hate, a wish for peace. Baruch Elron says that he has always been drawn to the profound philosophy of the Bible, impressed by the prophets, yet everything is related to “a history which repeats itself.” (Sonia Palty, Viata noastra, Israel, 1997)
“Elron’s paintings bring to mind the 16th century Italian Rennaissance painting. He has the technique and the composition as well as the mastery of that period. The backdrop is painted with the same degree of detail as the subjects who represent the content and essence of the painting. Some view Elron as a Surrealist, others as a Fantastic Realist. René Hocke named him, while comparing him with other painters of the late Renaissance, a neo mannerist.” (René Hocke in Painting of the presence” – “The neo mannerism”, Limes Verlag, 1975). (Miriam Tal, Gazit, Israel, 1975)
“Baruch Elron is no orthodox surrealist since he is neither frightening nor cruel. He is mysterious, wise, cultivated, a pessimist up to a certain point, but he shares a belief in the human existence and in the power of love…” (Miriam Tal in “The Mysterious and Convincing Painting of Baruch Elron”)
“Baruch Elron named himself a romantic surrealist. Elron’s painting is surrealistic, makes the standing-behind-the-things, the surreal, visible. He doesn’t have to destroy, disperse or even change something towards a level of unrecognition in order to reach the goal. Elron belongs to the optimistic Surrealism, such as René Magritte which stands in contrast to the pessimistic Surrealism of Salvador Dalí.” (Davar, 1973, “Elron’s Creatures”)
“Baruch Elron is an outstanding surrealist whose artistic level is above many others. He is a well-experienced painter with his own, individual mythology. He paints exceptionally on thin tables of wood and uses a more or less classical technique. Even though he has adopted various influences, he has still remained individualistic. His work is outstanding in the balance between colour and graphic elements and transmits a detailed and precise picture of his wonderland. (Gazith, 1973)
“Elron became an important name in the bigger cities of the world after only 3 individual exhibitions in Israel and another 5 group exhibitions in Canada, the United States, Brazil, France and Italy. Some of his works can be found in the Museum for Modern Art in New York, Boston and Montreal. (…) His atelier seems to be very small since there are paintings everywhere. This is a collection which is, if shortly reflected, the expression of an illogical life of dreams. It is strongly influenced by an intensive romantic style, which sometimes may shock. All of Elron’s paintings reveal a high level of virtuosity and perfection. Elron’s figurative surrealism has been formed through 2 components: one is beauty and the other is the element of the mystique. (Critics and opinions, Viata Noastra, Israel, 10.11.1972)
“He strives for the technique of the old masters and he actually reaches it in his landscapes, through concept and colour. Elron belongs to today`s fantastic realism which demands a high standard from the artist. On the one hand, one needs a perfect technical ability in order to be able to create an accurate world of illusion and symbols; on the other hand, one has to create complicated symbols and outstanding imagery which can be rendered through the medium of painting.” (Art Magazine, 1973)
“Elron pays all his attention to eyes, mouth and hands. “Eyes are the most wonderful means to express human existence”, says Elron. His style has been defined as fantastic realism. However, it is clear that he will search for new ways for the rest of his life in order to express himself through painting. “If I succeeded in opening the eyes of at least a small group of people through my paintings and made them more aware of the danger of losing one`s personality in modern society, then I would consider myself a successful painter”. (Davar, 28.1.1971)
“Elron considers the present to be radically different from the past and says that expressionism bears the mark of the previous generation. His total integration in the present generation is the ultimate evidence for his constructive mind.” (Risa Propst Kreid, Viata noastra, 1966)
“Through a multitude of symbols and mythological references Elron carries us off to a strange realm where flower-women, birds in full flight and extraordinary landscapes mix their extravagant shapes and colors. “ (L’Oeil, France)
“The paintings, done in cold colours (oftentimes acrylic paint) brilliantly executed and of strong figurative conception are full of symbols and allegories. They form a unifying line from mythology, with strong Biblical influences, to modernism. They tie together remote coherences and alienate or transform objects, which together determine multiple contrasts between the bringing together and the taking apart of reality…”(A.Ois Weber)
“The artist´s technique has really reached the point of perfection in drawing as well as in painting. He often works in tempera and each painting requires a sustained, prolonged effort, but it is not the technique that justifies the unique interest in Elron’s work. Technique is the means not an end.” (Anita Nardon, Bruxelles-Europe, Belgium)
“The mythology illustrated in this painter’s work is utterly personal. Elron has absorbed the influences of the “Jugendstill” of the turn of the century (Art Nouveau), Arcimboldo and Hieronymous Bosch, as well as certain contemporary painters, yet always remained independent. He paints with supreme precision a woman who has a dog’s body, a man who is a lit, melting candle, another human who carries on his head a set table, and on it a fried egg – with a human eye serving as a yolk (perhaps an allusion to “eye egg”, the term for “sunny side up egg” in several languages). In yet another painting, we find an almost gothic portrait of a young woman, whose head is a roast chicken, and we believe everything he shows us. His art doesn’t transform reality into imagination, but rather the other way around.” (Miriam Tal, “Artists in Israel”)
“Elron does not appear to be influenced by fashion. He paints in the same surrealist style in which he has always painted. According to him, he had tried, a few years ago, to interest himself in the abstract, but reverted to surrealism as a means to express his ideas, as it is the philosophical expression that he is interested in. The abstract seems to him too open to a lot of interpretations and he tends to have very concrete philosophical ideas which he wants to express in his paintings.” (Davar, Israel, 1973)
“Through his paintings he sends the viewer on a journey of discovery between dream and reality, fear and hope. He transforms women into wonder hens. His brush strokes are those of a Rennassaince painter.” (Express, Germany, 1978)
“Elron´s paintings stress, to a great extent, our feelings. He dives into the observer’s soul and brings unconscious thoughts to the surface. Things believed to have been long forgotten or hidden are awoken to life. These can be pleasant memories which might wake up positive sentiments, pictures of the past that live on in the subconscious. Cultural philosophy and playful happiness merge in the joy of the color scheme. The result is conscious coquetry which ignores its own limits, leading to bold infringement of the boundaries, thus creating multiple paintings within the same painting. (…) Rarely is the disturbance caused by excess in a painting as enjoyable as it is in the work of this brilliant juggler of the fantastic who appears to have Italian sensibilities in his veins.” (Hans Karl Pesch, Solingen Morgenpost, Germany, 1980)
“The iconographic context brings to the foreground the fact that in spite of the unusual content, Elron’s work proves to be steeped in tradition.” (Carl K, 1980)
Gleiny, Ch. F., “Baruch Elron” in Kunst Zuruch, 1984
Hoecke, Gustav, Rene, “Viaggio Nell’Arte Stravagante”, L’Espreso, Politica, Cultura, Economia, 18 Julio 1976, p. 42-97
Hoecke, Gustav, Rene, “The Manierism”, “Times Verlag”, 1975
Juhlen Monica, “Surrealismen eines Optimisten – Baruch Elron in der Galerie Ruchti”, seite 12, Bonner General Anzeiger, Freitag, 21 November 1980
Komer Carl, “Das Madonnenbildim Wandel” in “Kunst & Antiquitaten, Nov / Dec 1980
L.M., “…A l’hermestime de Baruch Elron” in “Magazine Fraternité Matin”, 25 dec 1988, p. 20
Lenhard Dr. Gunter & Lenhard Dr. Paewin, “Jedes Bild ist ein gemalter Traum, Das Unbewubte in des Baruch Elron” / The Unconscious in Painting, Cologne
Merkur, Munchener, Art-Time Bulletin, 2000, 5.11.1975, p. 25
Pesch, Hans Carl, “Baruch Elron, Eine Ausstellungenssensation im Klingenmuseum, Fantastische Traume in Acryl”, Solingen Morgenpost, Reinische Post, nr 189, 16th August 1980
Rey Stephane, “Baruch Elron expose dans la Galerie l’Angle Aigui”, in Kunst Antiquitaten, Nov. /Dec 1980
Slama, J.L., “Propos Recuellis- Elron”, Le Journal d’Israel, 31 May 1984
Stiftel, Ralf, “In Elron surrealistischen gemalden eht ein Hauch von Magie und Mythos”, Duftige Compositionen von Dusemond Museum zeigt Dopplelausstelung, Westglischer Anzeit, Wa), Westdeutsche All gemeine Zeitung (wa), Westfalische Rundschau