about this painting:
NIGHT JERUSALEM
A special city
The sacred city of Jerusalem often appears in Leonid Afremov paintings, but not only because of its architectural beauty and rich history. There are several reasons that make it so dear to his heart:
1. Israeli is the artist’s historical homeland.
2. He has lived and worked in Jerusalem for 12 years.
3. In this city, he started painting with a palette knife, opened his first artwork gallery and learned how to make picture frames.
And although life in Jerusalem wasn’t always that easy, Leonid recalls these years with warmth and gratitude. Inspired by the intricate mix of antiquity and modernity under the hot sun of the East, he used to wander the city streets looking for a perfect scene to capture. His online gallery is full of Jerusalem views at all times of the day and in all weathers. This one shows us a rainy night street, empty and mysterious at this hour except for two rare by-passers caught in nasty autumn drizzle. Let’s follow their footsteps and see what happens next.
Phantasmagoria of the night
Contemporary painting is quite inventive when it comes to artistic techniques. Under the palette knife of Leonid Afremov, a dull grey cityscape suddenly ignites with all colors of the spectrum. The creeping mist dresses the buildings in ghostly shades of green and blue intensified by rich orange glow coming from the burning lanterns. Frozen in quirky positions along the road, the bare trees of Jerusalem slowly seek out and absorb molecules of water dispersed in the air, each of their branches pitch black and distinct against the eerily illuminated background. The wet asphalt shimmers and twinkles in the dark and the two strangers seem to be trapped in another dimension where everything looks alike yet amazingly different from our ordinary world.
Art as magic
Leonid Afremov is a good wizard that fills the world with new colors and makes us see common things in a surprisingly beautiful way. This painting will instantly turn your home into a stylish contemporary residence decorated with refined wall art. You can use it in any interior, either as an unframed or framed artwork – there is obviously much more to explore and admire in this canvas than framing. Open a window to Jerusalem in your wall and feel free to peep out whenever you feel the urge to break out of your daily routine.