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THE JERUSALEM POST

The art scene

By Angela Levine

IN AN ERA of post modernistic paintings awash with contrived myths and symbolic underpinnings, Roni Cohen's industrial "landscapes", focusing on the pure values of form, colour and pattern, come as a breath of fresh air.

Cohen, a graduate of the Teachers Art College at Ramat Hasharon, completed her studies in London and New York. This broad education may explain the rich sources of her paintings. They range from the bright colours and bold images of Pop Art to the dynamic industrial themes of post-World War I Europe and America, which culminated, in 1927, in a landmark "Machine Age Exposition" in New York.

Cohen's industrial scenes are of two types. In one group, devoid of human figures, pipes, machines and cables are organized into beautifully balanced architectonic designs made up of flat, interlocking areas of unmodulated colour. Against this background, geometric lines and forms flow down and across her canvas, or zoom in towards the spectator.

In the second group, which illustrates specific work-situations, human figures - diamond cutters, a laboratory technician, a textile-loom operator - appear, stylized in form and barely distinguishable from the machines they operate.

Cohen's paintings are especially notable for their textural variety. Not only are flat areas of colour alternated occasionally with strips of feathery paintwork, giving the appearance of fluffy clouds, but collage is sometimes applied to the canvas in the form of patterned material, wrinkled paper or fur. These increase the impression of products in the midst of dynamic creation.

An impressive show. (Mabat Gallery, 31 Gordon.)

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