David Hendler (; 1904 – May 2, 1984) was an Israeli painter. Known as "the painter of

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

", he was the winner of the

Dizengoff Prize The Dizengoff Prize for Painting and Sculpture is awarded annually by the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality since 1937. The prize is named after Meir Dizengoff, the first mayor of Tel Aviv. According to the Tel Aviv municipality, the purpose of the pri ...

for painting. Biography David Handler was born in the city of

Kiev Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

in the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

(later Ukraine) in 1904. In 1924 he immigrated to the

Mandatory Palestine Mandatory Palestine was a British Empire, British geopolitical entity that existed between 1920 and 1948 in the Palestine (region), region of Palestine, and after 1922, under the terms of the League of Nations's Mandate for Palestine. After ...

in his own right. Handler privately studied drawing with Professor Pichel from the Academy of Art in Prague, in

he continued his studies with the painter

Yitzhak Frenkel Yitzhak Frenkel (; 1899–1981), also known as Isaac Frenkel or Alexandre Frenel, was an Israeli painter, sculptor and teacher. He was one of the leading Jewish artists of the School of Paris, l’École de Paris and its chief practitioner in Is ...

, from whom he drew the influence of modern French art. Hendler is best known for his drawings; He had a fine sense of color, and his pencil drawn sketches varied with little spots of water color, were common in many homes in

and other cities of the country. Hendler was in his essence as sketchiest; This is evident by the lightness of his touch on the paper and the delicacy of drawn line. In his nude paintings, the influence of

Henri Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual arts, visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a drawing, draughtsman, printmaking, printmaker, ...

, the teacher of his own teacher, Isaac Frenkel, was evident. However, he also painted in oil colors on canvas and industrial wood (

Masonite Masonite board Back side of a masonite board Isorel, Quartrboard, Masonite Corporation, Masonite, also called Quartboard or pressboard, is a type of engineered wood made of steam-cooked and pressure-molded wood or paper fibers. The fibers ...

), but these works are relatively rare compared to his paintings on paper. During his lifetime, Handler painted many works of art in order to survive. It is said that he would finish a painting in a few minutes. At times due to the severity of his economic situation, he would go through

homes with his pictures, knocking on doors and trying to sell his pictures for a few pennies. Starting in 1981, Handler was confined to his bed due to muscular dystrophy. Aviva Uri dined him at their home and later when he was hospitalized at Levinstein Hospital. David Handler died on the first of Ayar 5744 (1984), and was buried in the

Kiryat Shaul cemetery Kiryat Shaul Cemetery () is a 320-dunam (32 hectares) Jewish burial ground in Northern Tel Aviv near the neighborhood of Kiryat Shaul. On the east side of the cemetery is a large military cemetery. Founded in 1943, it includes more than 80,000 gr ...

. He was survived by his wife, Aviva. Later, a memorial plaque was placed on the home of Hedler and Uri on Jericho Street in Tel Aviv.

Influence and achievements

Hendler's influence on drawing in Israel was great, and it is evident in the works of Arieh Navon, Avigdor Stimatsky (also students of

) and others. The main motifs in his paintings are laborers, horses and other work animals, the old houses of

, the Tel Aviv promenade. During his lifetime. Handler won the

three times (1938, 1940, 1945–46). He presented a solo exhibition at the Bezalel Home for the Disabled in 1961 and at the

Tel Aviv Museum of Art The Tel Aviv Museum of Art ( ''Muzeon Tel Aviv Leomanut'') is an art museum in Tel Aviv, Israel. The museum is dedicated to the preservation and display of modern and contemporary art both from Israel and around the world. History The Tel Aviv ...

in 1981 (in an exhibition named: "The Hendlers of Hendler").

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hendler, David 20th-century Israeli painters 20th-century Israeli artists 1904 births 1984 deaths Artists from Kyiv