Tel Aviv: Urban Contrasts and Light Play in Boaz Noy’s "At the Edge of the Night"
- Caroline Haïat
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
The new exhibition by Israeli artist Boaz Noy, entitled "At the Edge of the Night" will open on April 24 at the Rosenfeld Gallery in Tel Aviv. The artist highlights various contrasts of light and plays with their intensity. Boaz’s oil paintings are inspired by Haifa, Tel Aviv, and Jerusalem — three cities that, in many ways, represent his home. The urban space is in constant motion. Familiar places disappear while others are revealed, often by chance. The cities’ many faces appear in different ways throughout the day and night.
Boaz chooses to observe the city from below. He’s not interested in spectacular views or iconic skylines. On the contrary, it’s the city itself that fascinates him — its streets and gardens. He draws inspiration from everyday, mundane scenes: a blooming hedge between buildings on a main street in Tel Aviv; a well-kept community garden hidden down an alley in Jerusalem.
In his paintings, the city breaks down into separate elements: a house wall, the light through an apartment window, a pine tree, a public garden, a tiled roof.
It is precisely the casualness of these subjects that allows subjective experience and inner emotions to assert themselves powerfully on the canvas. Harmonious perspectives and balanced compositions give way to abstract expression. The paintings on display are characterized by intense and contrasting colors and by a multitude of marks, lines, engravings, scratches, and scrapes that refuse to be absorbed into pictorial harmony.
In Boaz’s exhibition, the distinction between daytime and nighttime paintings is especially pronounced. At night, the city is less "visible" but much more "felt." Buildings and surroundings that stand out in daylight fade into the darkness. Others are revealed in the strong glow of artificial lighting. The background noise of the bustling city fades, and as it does, the intensity of emotions and inner sensations grows stronger.
An original exhibition not to be missed, at 1 Hamifal Street, Tel Aviv.
Caroline Haïat
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