Baruch Nachshon

{{Infobox
|title =  Baruch Nachshon
|image        = [[File:Space holder.jpg|215px|alt=Baruch Nachshon]]
|header1 = Born:
|data2  =  1939, Haifa, Israel
|header3 =  Lives:
|data4  =  Kiryat Arba, Hebron, Israel
|header5 = Artist:
|data6   = Symbolic Surrealistic Visionary Judaica artist
|header7 = Award:
|data8 = Distinguished Artist Award, Bar Ilan University, 1989
|header9 = Description:
|data10   = A visionary spiritual Judaica artist who is part of Chabad Judaism.}}

'''Baruch Nachshon''' is a surrealist visionary Judaica artist who lives and works in Kiryat Arba, adjacent to the ancient city of Hebron.

==Background==
Baruch Nachshon was born in the religiously mixed northern coastal city of ''Haifa'' in 1939.  As a young child he wasn’t interested in his regular school studies, but fortunately had a teacher who recognized his talent and encouraged him to draw and paint. At the age of 11 Nachshon was introduced to ''Shlomo Nerani'', the only student of ''Cezanne'', who took him under his wing, and he became Nerani’s apprentice-student.

When Nachshon went into the army he served as a shepherd based on ''Kibbutz Lavi''. This enabled him to connect with nature and to develop his spiritual understanding of the world. After his military service Nachshon continued his studies at a ''Chabad'' Yeshiva in Lod, where he developed a life-long attachment to the ''Lubavitch'' movement.

==Relgious-Spiritual Development==
Aside from studying ''Chabad Chassidic'' teachings, Baruch Nachshon also studied the work of ''Rabbi Nachman of Breslov'', and the writings of the ''Zohar'' of ''[[Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai|Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai]]''.  In 1965 he was in in the United States and had a three hour private audience with the late Lubuvitcher Rebbe, ''Menachem Mendel Schneerson''. Rebbe Schneerson offered Nachshon a two year scholarship to study art in a kosher way, and gave Baruch a blessing for success.
 
==Hebron==
After returning to Israel he taught in an elementary school until 1967. After the ''Six Day War'', Nachshon decided to move with his wife and family to the city of ''Hebron'', in the West Bank, previously held by  Jordan. There he opened an art gallery very close to the Tomb of the Patriarchs, (the ''Machpelah Cave''), where Abraham and Sarah, of the Bible, are buried. Nachshon, who speaks Arabic, was able to make good relationships with his Arab neighbors, and he is still well known in the area, even though he now lives in the nearby Jewish town of ''Kiryat Arba''.

==Style==
Baruch Nachshon is an auto-didactic visionary painter who considers that his art is a conduit from above. Nachshon’s paintings are very symbolic and mystical often concentrating on pictures of the world after the ''Redemption'' and the coming of the ''Messiah''.

Other paintings, more surrealistic and lyrical realism in style, focus on the surrounding Hebron landscape, especially on the ''Tomb of the Patriarchs''. 
Baruch Nachshon’s style has been compared to that of [[Chagall|Chagall]], but his main inspiration apart from the landscape and nature is from the Psalms of David and the prayers and melodies of the Jewish year, especially those of the Sabbath. Due to his respect and devotion to the Lubavitch Rebbe, many of his paintings include images and portraits of the late sage. Nachshon works in both oils and acrylic, often producing a panoramic style of picture in a narrow landscape format similar to a small flattened religious scroll.

==Exhibitions==
Baruch Nachshon’s first exhibition in the United States was in 1980 with the encouragement of Rabbi Schneerson. He has since exhibited his work in U.S., Canada, Brazil and Argentina, Australia, England and Hong Kong. 
Nachshon’s paintings, including serigraphs and greetings cards, are available online and from his gallery.

[[Category:Jewish Art]]