Calman Shemi, Large Israeli Colorful Metal Wall Sculpture Painting Circus Scene Calman Shemi, 1998

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Calman Shemi (1939-) Laser cut metal wall sculpture 3D Titled "Circus" Signed on the front lower left edge, and signed, … Read more Calman Shemi (1939-) Laser cut metal wall sculpture 3D Titled "Circus" Signed on the front lower left edge, and signed, numbered, and titled verso. Marked, Jerusalem Limited edition, 2/99 (I don't know how many were actually made) Approx. 34.5" x 35.5" Depicts weightlifter, acrobats, figure on unicycle, clown with umbrella, and acrobat under the circus big top tent. Calman Shemi, sculptor and painter, was born in Argentina in 1939. A graduate of the School of Sculpture and Ceramics in Mendoza, he studied under the Italian-Argentinian sculptor Libero Badii whom he credits with putting him on the right path. “He taught me principals, not only related to sculpture, but human and philosophic principals. Shemi also carefully studied the work of such masters as Pablo Picasso, Caravaggio, Frank Stella and Henri Matisse. “From each one of these great artists I learned something from observing them,” he says. In 1961, at the age of 20, Shemi immigrated to Israel and joined Kibbutz Carmia of which he was a member for twenty years. There he worked in agriculture and also as a sculptor working with wood and clay. Several of his large-scale fiberglass and polyester projects are situated in public buildings. He was a student of German-Israeli sculptor Rudi Lehmann, a pioneer of the artistic movement known as “Canaanism.” Canaanite art was an effort to create a direct relationship with the land, bypassing historic Jewish connotations—hence the land’s primordial name is used. Canaanite works, with an emphasis on the interaction of simple shapes, bear a deliberate resemblance to the sculpture and ritual art of early civilizations of the Middle East prior to Judaism, always with an eye to the fusion of man and the land itself. Though sculpture dominated his early years as an artist, in the mid ’70s Shemi developed the idea of the “soft painting” medium. Beginning with a color drawing done to scale, Shemi layers onto the drawing irregularly shaped pieces of variously textured and colored fabrics. Using a threadless 9,000-needle sewing machine, the fabrics are meshed to one another and to the background, resulting in vibrant carpet tapestry compositions infused with exuberant color and explosive movement. These are neither aubusson nor pile but more of a felt wall hanging style. Over the years, Shemi has continued to challenge himself with new artistic mediums, developing two more techniques of painting: “Lacquer paintings” and “window paintings.” He creates his Lacquer Paintings by applying vibrant colors to wood or metal panel that has been gilded with gold or silver leaf, and sometimes both. After the paint has thoroughly dried, many layers of lacquer are applied to the surface giving it a glowing effect. Between each layer of lacquer the piece is hand-polished to give the surface its very shiny look. Shemi’s “lacquer” and “window” paintings are reminiscent of ancient techniques used centuries ago in Japan and China. Similar in the bright colorful mediterranean beaute of David Dudu Gerstein. Shemi concludes, “All of the art that I create is full of optimism and beauty. That’s all. Simple, very simple.” During the past eighteen years Shemi has held more than seventy one-man shows in the U.S., Japan, Germany, Spain, Belgium and Israel. His works can be seen in many public and private collections around the world. Several of Shemi's large-scale fiberglass and polyester projects are situated in various public buildings throughout the world. During the last years, Shemi has worked intensively with wall sculpture laser-cut steel, his new field of expression. He was in the group exhibition Reunion: Rudi Lehmann and Disciples at the Haifa Museum of Art, 1989 Artists: Rudolph Rudi Lehmann, Hedwig Grossmann Lehmann, Doron Bar Adon, Raya Bar Adon, Shoshana Heimann, Dan Zaretsky, Yigal Miron, Pinchas Eshet, Menashe Kadishman, Calman Shemi. Over the last fifteen years, he has held more than seventy one-man-shows in the USA, Japan, Germany, Spain, Belgium and Israel. Calman Shemi has achieved an art expression that has received international acclaim and acceptance. Very Appropriate for Memphis Milano Style interiors. Bright 1980s Artwork. See less