Oil Paintings by Natan Shalva
The 2009 Fusion Festival as I remember it from the hill at night
Strong sun behind the trees
There is some sun in winter
There is a path to the sea there
Summer, on the outskirts of the city
The sunset from the bridge in the park. Berlin 2019
Tuscany at the end of the day
4230
The grasses by the lake in winter
3274
The cows grazing in the nature reserve
A small boat on the river
The flower garden on a winter day
The tree in the field near the RS26 station
3269
Afternoon sun
4239
The roke form the ice age
The flowers in a round jar that you love
3572
Statue of Eve at the Berlin Zoo
5720
The snow in the mountains
The party in the mountains
Clouds in winter
3527
the Snow Walkers
The old bridge near the central station
4230
The cabin on the mountain
Early spring
3200
The fields outside the city in winter
4289
The trees visible through the morning mist
Our bedroom, with the painting I drew for you: you on the mountain, in a pose of victory.
There is a blue sky between the clouds
3721
The trunk of the Birch
4210
The mountain from Verena's childhood home
The sheep pasture
The cypresses near the old house
3423
The light among the trees
The grasses near the park's outer path
The circus in the city
The shade of the trees near the shabby park in the south of the city
The little poppies near the exit of the main road
3647
Sunset at the zoo
3500
The irises by the small garden pool
370
The grazing of the wild cows
3500
The old snowman in the park
3500
Orange sunset among the clouds on a very cold winter day
312
They haven't killed all the trees yet
3890
I saw the atoms spinning around
Berlin - It's so ugly and so beautiful at the same time
450
Lilies like Monet painted
520
The big tree that fell into the lake
327
The large tree that survived among the farmers' fields
312
The sunflower
Morning in the park
7232
The most beautiful sunrise ever seen on earth
1
Summer
4100
Morning
4200
The trees with the white trunk
4200
<img class="float-end" src="/painting/show/102_g2tlgdgksf.avif" alt="Summer" width="444"><p>And so,<br>it took me<br>sixty whole years<br>until I understood,<br>that water is the best of drinks,<br>and that bread is the tastiest of foods,<br>and that no art has any real value <br>unless it instills a little happiness<br>into the human heart.</p><p>By <strong>Taha Muhammad Ali</strong></p><h3 class="mt-5">Natan Shalva</h3><p>Injustice, wrongdoing, violence, and evil can be found very easily—in fact, almost everywhere we look. Shalva wants nothing more than the opposite; in his paintings, he seeks beauty, joy, and happiness.</p><div class="float-end ms-5"><img src="/pi/213_vu57kpn.avif" style="border-radius: 20px;"></div>
<p>It is a complex task, and he is the first to admit that he does not know how to achieve it. But he tries, and the paintings on display are his best attempts.</p><p>Painting nature from observation is his greatest love. Almost all of his paintings begin with an attempt to capture a sight that he thinks would be pleasant to keep in mind. The paintings are done with oil paint directly on the spot (plein-air painting). He will try to improve some of them later in the studio.</p><p>If he is very satisfied with a painting, he tries to enlarge it. But naturally, it is never exactly the same painting—it takes on a life of its own.</p><p><strong>Autobiography:</strong></p><p>Born and raised in a kibbutz in northern Palestine, a Zionist-socialist Jewish commune. In adulthood, he left the commune, Zionism, and Judaism, but not the values of socialism.</p><p>He acquired his education in the art of painting under the classical painter Micha Set.</p><p>Following the rise of the nationalist fascists, the Shalva family, which had taken an active part in the resistance to Zionist apartheid, was forced to emigrate. They returned to the original place of residence of the family's grandparents - Berlin. The Berlin spirit of freedom, tolerance, and social solidarity contributed significantly to the increasing role of painting in his life, and he lives and works there to this day.</p>
<p>It is a complex task, and he is the first to admit that he does not know how to achieve it. But he tries, and the paintings on display are his best attempts.</p><p>Painting nature from observation is his greatest love. Almost all of his paintings begin with an attempt to capture a sight that he thinks would be pleasant to keep in mind. The paintings are done with oil paint directly on the spot (plein-air painting). He will try to improve some of them later in the studio.</p><p>If he is very satisfied with a painting, he tries to enlarge it. But naturally, it is never exactly the same painting—it takes on a life of its own.</p><p><strong>Autobiography:</strong></p><p>Born and raised in a kibbutz in northern Palestine, a Zionist-socialist Jewish commune. In adulthood, he left the commune, Zionism, and Judaism, but not the values of socialism.</p><p>He acquired his education in the art of painting under the classical painter Micha Set.</p><p>Following the rise of the nationalist fascists, the Shalva family, which had taken an active part in the resistance to Zionist apartheid, was forced to emigrate. They returned to the original place of residence of the family's grandparents - Berlin. The Berlin spirit of freedom, tolerance, and social solidarity contributed significantly to the increasing role of painting in his life, and he lives and works there to this day.</p>