Today I want to do write a feature for Anna Zarnitsky, a famous Judaica artist. Born in Irkutsk, Russia to a creative family, she gravitated towards art her whole life. She studied at the Irkutsk College of Arts and at Senezh Moscow House of Creativity, as well as several other institutions. In a careful blend of realism and abstract, Zarnitsky creates a world of color and majesty. Once the viewer is drawn into the world of ever-changing colors, they’ll never want to leave. Emotion and life are held within images- how could you ever look away?

I love this painting of Tzvat, also known as Safed. When I visited Israel, Tzvat stood out because of its magical blend of cultures and passions. Tzvat is home to over twenty seminaries and yeshivas and even more synagogues- no matter what type of synagogue you’re looking for, you’ll find it. Tzvat is also where the commonly called Artist’s Colony is located. In that neighborhood, it’s impossible to go more than one block without stumbling into a gallery. Just like all the colors in this painting, Tzvat is a fantastical and colorful city, with something for everyone.

I’m also in love with this painting of Jerusalem. Instead of making a monument or landmark the focal point, Zarnitsky uses the entire landscape of Jerusalem, extending all the way to the hills that surround the holy city. This painting is timeless- while the buildings appear to be in an antiquated style, similar ones still can be found in the Old City. With the focus on Jerusalem as a whole, Zarnitsky emphasizes the communal nature of the city, instead of dividing it into sections.