” Each and every thing has its own inner strength, since it was created and formed in the universe and has something of the universal soul. “ ( Plotinus)

The Roman philosopher Plotinus defined Beauty as one of the expressions of God in Nature. He explains that we are drawn to Beauty because it reminds us of our source, reminds our soul its true home.

Rinat Orel creates natural landscapes that reflect an inner feeling of unity with Nature and the World. Her love for nature is evident in her works, for their main scenes almost always takes place in open landscapes. A quiet longing for Beauty and Harmony also underlies these works together with a connection to the magical dimension of reality and a strong need to “touch the stars” which is realized through the paintings.

In general it is possible to notice two groups of paintings in the exhibition, both of which relates to two different periods in the artist’s work:

The first group includes works in which the use of colour is restrained and the ruling hue is of deep dark blue, while other hues coalesced with it in gentle harmony.

In contrast, the typical feeling that arises from observing the second group of paintings, is of breaking out- also evident through the use of colour. Now, the deep dark blue is supplemented with hues of gold and fire. Symbolically it can be seen as a transition from a more introvert, veiled plain- out, towards the light.

It is not by mere chance that the scenes in the first group takes place at night, while in the second group the Sun – or it’s parallel, the Fire- appears for the first time. These works ask to brake out, into the light- something of the mysterious is unveiled before the world, in daylight.

Another interesting characteristic is the theme of the stars, which appears in almost all these works. If in the nocturnal works the stars were but mere speckles of light, then in the lucid group of paintings the stars have a new appearance- as symbolical stars based upon the star symbol in the art of ancient Egyptian temples.

Hence, those gentle flickering stars in the background transforms into real entities which exists in their own right and illuminates the whole painting with intensity.

Perhaps in its utmost clarity this transformation appears in the “The Flower of light”, where the central feminine image sends a multitude of stars towards the Heavens. This work represents clearly the hidden theme which re-appears in Rinat Orel’s works- the connection between Man and the Heavens, between Earth and Stars, when the Path of Stars becomes a bridge between Heaven and Earth.

Curated by Nirit Arbeli- Etzioni