Tal R: Kolbojnik

Tal R’s painting style is often described as “kolbojnik”. In Hebrew, the word means “left-overs”, which is also indicated to mean “jack-of-all-trades”. After my extensive look into the life of this artist, I quickly began to realize that he has become sort of the “epitome” of what a “true” contemporary artist is. From his painting of “Adieu Interessant” , to the minds of those he molds; the type of character and enthusiasm he brings to the form, community, and profession; would prove that the nickname given isn’t too far off.

As stated, in Hebrew the term “kolnojnik” is described as “left-overs”. Tal Rosenzweig was born in Tel Aviv, Israel in 1967. With a Danish mother and Czechoslovakian Jewish father, his childhood was defined by his family as having a “split identity”. Being of Scandinavian descendance (his mother), it often clashed with the side of him that was Jewish (His father). His work inspiration comes from the Scandinavian society of his maternal side contrasted with his father’s experience as a Holocaust survivor. The word “kolbojnik” is used as a loose definition for his process of gathering inspiration.

The duality of Tal’s heritage is recognized in his work, which offers both a blunt and celebratory factor. Color is weighted by shadow; café and street scenes, decorative and radiant, are simultaneously restricted and obscured. In a single piece, one could find historical references, threads of Expressionism, and Symbolism; as well as nods to traditional Scandinavian art. Tal works with a variety of media—collage, sculpture, installation, painting—and subliminally rejects imagery from diverse sources. His subject matter is intentionally easy to describe, but meaning, as in dreams, is mystifying. “For me, drawing was the same as dreaming at night: you don’t decide what to dream about, you dream about what you need.” (Tal R)

As stated, Tal R continues to make strides in the art community, but still manages to find time to give back by teaching at the Kuntakdemie Dusseldorf; an arts academy in Dusseldorf, Germany. He first entered Royal Danish Academy of Fine arts in Copenhagen as a young intelligent man in 1994. During the early years he was weighed down not by the amount of time he devoted to his work, but rather a mental pressure to find himself as an artist. Tal R did not find it easy to become an artist but, he stayed devoted to his passion. In 2004 he was honored with the Danish Eckersberg Medal. Over the years he has been guest professor in the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Art and in art institutions in Helsinki, Hamburg and Düsseldorf.

Tal R’s Contemporary Art work “Adieu Interessant (silver)” Is one of my favorites. This artwork was done in many different colors such as: Blue, red orange, brown etc. The painting is like a collage. The silver is like a spiral circle in the middle, around that is many different images that are based off of his inspiration from his origins. The silver Adieu interessant makes the images pop out at you with the color, because the spiral circle is 3D. This contemporary art is considered mixed media because it uses not only paint but other elements like magazines, and is in the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk, Denmark. The Adieu Interessant in the many different colors were done from 2005-2008.

Tal R is one of the most respected and loved artists in Denmark. His work is in many museums such as: Beret International Gallery in Chicago, Douglas Hyde Gallery in Dublin, Royal Academy of Art in London and Contemporary Fine Arts in Berlin. He has a film about him done by Daniel Dencik called “The Virgin”. The Jack of all Trades expresses himself through his practice of obtaining and collecting a wide range of imagery, figurative and abstract from high and low culture. Whether in paintings, drawings, prints, textiles or videos his resourceful, energetic adaptation of elements expresses generosity of spirit and above all, joy.

Works Cited

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