Aaron April’s oil and acrylic paintings underwent a profound transformation following his emigration to Israel in 1972. While his earlier Soviet works included powerful realist pieces like “Execution” (1961), which bravely confronted the realities of the Soviet Gulag and established him as a courageous painter, his later “Israeli” period exploded with multicolored, energetic, and passionate canvases.
A central tenet of his artistic vision in Israel was his intense engagement with light, particularly the unique and often “cruel” light of Jerusalem. April famously declared his goal was to “win this contest with the light,” tirelessly striving to capture or embody this elusive illumination within his canvases. His palette from this era is described as vigorous and comprehensive, capable of conveying a “violence of color” where hues seemingly “fight each other or embrace each other,” utterly captivating the viewer.
April’s oil paintings are often multi-meaningful, multifaceted, and fantastical, actively inviting the viewer to discover layers of interpretation. His style frequently blends figurative and abstract elements, with images often emerging from seemingly chaotic or pulsating colorful strokes. A key concept in his later work is the use of “memory stains”—brush strokes that function as self-contained vessels of light and space, mirroring the fragmented nature of memory. He reinterpreted Symbolism, emphasizing that meaning arises from the interplay of these material “signifiers” rather than from pre-existing metaphysical ideas. His canvases also aimed to combine the static aspects of painting with dynamic movement, offering the viewer a unique sense of “being” within a flowing, concentrated moment in time. Biblical themes are notably prominent, viewed not merely as historical stories but as part of the “very fabric of today’s life” and deeply connected to ancestral memory in Jerusalem, which he considered his spiritual motherland.
While Aaron April fundamentally leaned towards figurative art, his work is rich with abstract elements and approaches, particularly evident in his later period in Israel. Rather than pure abstraction, April masterfully integrated abstract qualities within his compositions, often combining figurative and abstract elements with remarkable tact, especially notable in his expressive watercolors.
In April’s dynamic style, lines could “outlive themselves,” and forms might “dissolve in the hue,” leaving behind only a hint or suggestion of a figure. This technique allowed images to emerge from, or be suggested by, the very paint and color, rather than being strictly delineated. This inherent fluidity significantly contributes to the abstract feel of his pieces.
A core aspect that fuels the abstract quality of April’s art is his intense focus on color and light. The essence of his work is often described as the “violence of color and its perception,” where colors are perceived as “fighting each other or embracing each other.” This powerful, dynamic interplay of color functions as an abstract language in itself, conveying profound emotion and energy. The unique, intense light of Jerusalem, in particular, profoundly influenced his deep “color obsessions.”
His innovative concept of “memory stains” also introduces a distinct abstract quality. Images and figures can emerge from collisions and layers of paint, or from these evocative “stains,” which are analogous to the fragmented and layered nature of memory. These “memory stains” frequently form a rich, intricate tapestry rather than a strict narrative, encouraging the viewer to actively interpret what they see and frustrating any overly simplistic identification.
April also aspired to combine the static nature of plastic arts with a sense of dynamics, seeking to “cross the borders of plastic arts.” This involved utilizing painterly elements, including abstract ones, to convey a compelling sense of movement and concentrated time within the artwork.
Ultimately, while April’s subjects often drew from the visible world and biblical narratives, his sophisticated use of abstraction – through dissolving forms, dynamic color, and the evocative “memory stains” – served to deepen the emotional, symbolic, and spiritual impact of his art. It invited the viewer to engage actively in interpreting the “multi-meaningful, multifaced and fantastic” world he so uniquely created.
