Quotes from the introduction written by Galit Semel, curator of Yuval Orly exhibition at the Tel Aviv Artist Gallery
This exhibition presents the artist dialogue with historical events as well as present political circumstances the way those are reflected in the mass media (TV, radio, newspapers). Overall, the ‘political’ works of Yuval Orly are inspired by the art of opera composition. The raw material nourishing this series is daily news reporting political dramas that Orly transformed to visual expressions meant to stir the emotional response of the viewer, making one taking a stand in view of the events. Structurally, the images and the Triptychs are inspired by, Goya's paintings, Japanese prints from the 19
th century, the Guernica of Picasso and Pieter Brueghel the Elder work.
The expressive works reflect the artist own emotional response to the events he describes while paving the way toward to an individualized style in painting. The colors are vivid and dramatic and the composition is intense yielding allegorical figurative paintings soaked in information and references to great artists of the past, who inspired Orly in the way they responded on canvas to event not less dramatic of their times. Orly’s troubled mind in times of suicide terrorists, political disputes, the collective trauma of Amona’s settlers evacuation, and the ethical protest of Israel’s Air Force combat pilots... all seem to find catharsis on canvas.
Orly is also amazed in view of the power the mass media have in its ability to shape the people minds while quoting a Marshall MacLuhan quote in this regard (“The medium is the message”). In his painting Orly is deeply concerned, yet, does not fight the possibility that he might turn to be an individual controlled by the mass media. He accepts the possibility that he is ‘a product’ of such era...
The paintings are not celebrating the government, but criticize it. Orly places the artist as an observer and a reporter of reality through his own eyes. In this way Orly identifies the artist as a type of a journalist.
