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sTREAM, OIL ON CANvAS 24X36 IN. /61X91,5 CM.
fRIENDs, OIL ON CANvAS 36X24 IN. /91,5X61CM.
The freedom the artist experienced when he moved to the US in 1980 More than ever, in a world which is invaded by the digitized image,
was an unexpected chance to explore at the full extent the themes by the copy of a copy of a copy, one feels the need to see painting
that had been of interest for him all through his lifetime, and one can in the tradition of the great masters, one that preserves, as walter
feel that despite the dark moments in his past, he remained forever Benjamin explained, the aura of originality. And this is what Leon
an optimist, and with every brushstroke, every shade of green, blue, Oks generously offers us: not a digital print, or a collage, one that
or purple, every silhouette, every little house and every tree, every is just a copy of something we have seen in a hundred other places.
silhouette who coalesces from the vivid background, his paintings On the contrary, it is exactly this originality which stems from every
seem are an ode to the beauty of life and celebrate the freedom of brushstroke that is so fascinating, and the pulse of an artist who is
the artist that transcends the boundaries of time. always there, ready to take the next challenge.
Dana Mann /New York, June 11, 2006
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