Column 1974

Alexander Bogen created this oil painting, "Column," sometime around 1991. Bogen was born in Estonia, and his art education took place in Poland, Lithuania, and Russia. This cosmopolitan background is important in understanding his turn towards abstraction later in life. After the Second World War, he immigrated to Israel, and his artistic production took a turn, influenced by international styles that flourished outside of traditional academies. Bogen's "Column" can be seen as part of a larger movement towards abstraction after 1945. There's a deliberate move away from representation and figuration, evident in the blocks of color and broken, gestural lines. The title provides us with a clue, as it suggests the geometric forms in the painting are a metaphor for architecture. To fully understand an artist like Bogen, we need to investigate institutions and historical events that influenced him, and examine the social conditions that shaped his later commitment to abstraction.