Engelsberg, Leon, Painter. b. 1919, Warsaw, Died 1998, Jerusalem. Engelsberg studied art in Warsaw in the period tollowing World War II. Upon his immigration to Israel he settled in Jerusalem (1955) and was captured by its mountainous scenery. His landscapes are steeped in earthy hues of brown, ocher, and green, surmounted by wintery shades of sky-blue. The vigorous brush strokes form squares, circles, and arcs, and long colored lines dissect the planes ot the wadis and slopes, depicted in forcefully flowing rhythms. Engelsberg defines his relationship to Jerusalem as a personal-emotional approach, attuned to nature and concealing the "scars" inflicted on it by man. Thus the landmarks of Jerusalem - the Temple Mount, the mosques and churches - are missing trom Engelsberg's scenic panoramas, reduced to structural elements absorbed into the spectrum of colors forming the composition. Prize: Sussman Prize, Yad Vashem.
