Frenel Frankel Gallery Safed

{{Infobox
|title = Yitzhak Frenel Frankel
|image        = [[File:Space holder.jpg|215px|alt=Frenel Frankel]]
|header1 = Hebrew:
|data2  = יצחק פרנל
|header3 = Pronunciation:
|data4  = Yee-tz-hak Fre-en-el
|header7 = Description:
|data8   = Art Gallery in Tzfat which represents the works of veteran artist Yitzhak Frenel.}}

Yitzhak Frenel (also called "Frankel") was one of the creators of the [[Artist Quarter Safed|Tzfat Artist Quarter]]. A gallery of his works is still open and visitors can see the work of one of Tzfat’s best known artists. Frenel was a |major figure in Israel’s art scene. He lived and worked in [[Safed|Tzfat]] for almost 60 years.

== Background ==
Yitzhak-Alexander Frenel arrived in Palestine during the Third “Aliyah” -- immigration -- in 1919. He had already begun his art studies at the Art Academy in Odessa and immediately joined other young Jewish artists in establishing an artists’ studio in Herzilya and the Hatomer Art Cooperative in Jaffa. He left Palestine to further his art studies in Paris and returned to Palestine in 1925.  

Upon his return Yitzhak Frenel opened the Histradrut Studio of Painting Arts in Tel Aviv. He mentored many students including a number who followed him to Tzfat (Castel, Tajar, Avni, Levanon, Holtzman, Teichtman) and worked with him to establish the Artists Quarter Association after the [[Safed War of Independence]]. Yitzhak Frenel himself established his home in Tzfat in 1934.

== Style ==
Frenel chose to paint in an abstract contemporary style that he had adopted during his studies in Paris. His expressionist works speak to an inner experience as opposed to a solely realistic portrayal. His paintings strive to depict subjective emotions and responses as opposed to objective realities. Yitzhak Frenel uses colors to reveal hidden emotions as the colors express drama and passion. He also experimented with cubism and produced several paintings of that genre.

== Subject Matter ==
Frenel was the great-grandson of the Hassidic Master, the Ba’al Shem Tov. Although he himself was not observant he chose traditional Jewish life as frequent subject matter for his paintings. A large proportion of his paintings were illustrations of Jewish life as well as paintings that expressed his pride in the new State of Israel. He painted landscapes of all of Israel as well as many works that illustrated the world of Jewish tradition and ritual.

== Prizes and Exhibitions ==
Frenel was awarded many prizes, both within Israel and outside of Israel. These included the Dizengoff Prize, first prize at the International Lithography Exhibition, the Grand Prix de Paques, the Grand Prix de Noel, the Grand Prix International de Peinture de la Cote d’Azur en Frande Finale, and the Grand Prix International de Deauville. His works hang in museums and private exhibitions in Israel, France, Peru and the United States.

== Gallery ==
Frenel opened his gallery/museum on Tet Zayin Street in the Artists Quarter of Tzfat in 1973. He died in 1981 and his wife, Ilana, continued to open the gallery until she passed away. Today Frenel’s two daughters arrange to have the gallery open daily for visitors.

{{Claim Page}}

[[Category:Jewish Art]]
[[Category:Safed]]