From the series “A Portrait of an Artist”

After his studies at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, artist Moshe Castel moved to Paris, where he worked and was influenced by the great artists in that city. In 1940, he returned to Israel and moved to Safed, whose landscapes and kabbalist Jewish mysticism inspired his works. Castel was one of the leaders of the revolution led by the “New Horizons” movement. In 1948, he retired from the Israel Painters and Sculptors Association, marking a turning point for art in Israel. Castel’s varied work includes relief paintings, portraits, kabbalah-inspired paintings, and basalt works. The landscapes of Jerusalem, his hometown, and depictions of its diverse population, appear in many of his works.

The film will be screened with “Portrait of an Artist: Yehezkel Streichman” and both will be accompanied by a lecture by Dalit Matatyahu, Senior Curator of Israeli Art, Tel Aviv Museum of Art.

*Courtesy of the Israeli Film Service