View of the City

Arie (Eisman) Azene (b.1934, Israeli) View of the City (circa 1980’s) - A hand-colored lithograph depicting a view of the Mishkenot Sha'ananim (Peaceful Dwelling) neighborhood in Jerusalem where the Montefiore Windmill (built by Sir Moses Montefiore in 1857) appears in the background. It was the first area built outside the Old City walls and the windmill allowed local residents to mill their own flour and be self-sufficient. Today it is a charming and beautiful neighborhood. The lithograph is signed and numbered (76/250) in pencil in the lower left. The unframed work of art is on Fabriano paper, and the print is embossed ‘grebel lithograph Israel’ in the lower right corner. The 19.5 x 27.5-inch sheet has been matted and placed in a metal frame measuring 24.25 x 30.25 inches. Provenance: Michael Hittleman Gallery Los Angeles.
Azene was born in Germany, but his family immigrated to Israel shortly after his birth. He studied in Israel and Paris; lived briefly in England and Germany; lived on a kibbutz in the Judean Hills, and then settled in Jerusalem in 1984. Azene works in pencil and aquarelle. His early work was abstract, but has evolved over the years, has become more figurative and realistic. During the 1980’s, he created works in landscape and still life. His color palette is often based on two complementary hues, with a predominance of various combinations of gray.