What qualities make an outstanding artist?

Talent, diligence, a distinctive personality, being true to oneself, having social conscience. It is not accidental that Annat Rozensen, who possesses all these qualities, gained fame in the Israeli art scene.

 

Is Anat Rozenson a female theme artist?

“Home” has always been Rozenson’s central theme, and the main character in her paintings is usually female. But what’s worth noticing is that the “home” mentioned in the artwork is the artist’s own home, and not “home” in a universal sense; The female figure is the abstract form of the artist herself and not “women” in a universal sense. Rozenson believes the best way to know this world is to experience it as an individual. Family background, education and social environment shape a person’s life philosophy and world view. Therefore, her paintings portray reality from an individual, rather than a generic female, perspective.

 

Does Anat Rozenson aim to criticize?

Rozenson’s work is more about bringing up questions. Questions pop up from behind the gentle colors and the rhythmic patterns in every piece, asking again and again: “What am I doing?”,“What’s the meaning of doing this?”. These questions haunt even her 2019 piece “on the way home” (displayed in this space), which is filled with a festive atmosphere, celebrating her moving to a new home. Here, the boat – a reoccurring motif – is transformed into a container filled with furniture. Having ended several years of living in a temporary caravan, Rozenson moved into a large and beautiful house. However, even here, conflict awaits. A river separates the fireplace – a symbol of homely warmth, from the fabulously painted nature – a symbol of freedom.

 

Being a woman, defined and shaped by society, the reality Rozenson described and her questions are, no doubt, representative of the female gender in its entirety. But she claims questions like “what’s the meaning of Sisyphean actions?” are questions all human beings face, no matter which gender they are.

 

“A house without walls” or “A Mirage”?
Besides using art to explore relationships between multiple aspects of her personal life, Rozenson also focuses and commits on “demolishing walls” between different groups in society: She chose to live in a cooperative settlement where there are both religious and secular residents. She also actively participates in discussions of feminist artists as well as Jewish and Arabic artists’ joint groups and activities.

 

“A house without walls” – is this the purpose she’s pursuing?

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