By Brittany Knupper
Isaac Manevitz art finds its roots in the bold, colorful mosques and ancient architecture of Egypt. Growing up, Manevitz was immersed in ornate and intricate environments.
First, his creations were collages made by cutting up bits of colorful paper. Later, his father, a jewelry maker, taught him the family trade. Eventually, Manevitz traveled to the US for college. There, he attended the Brooklyn College of Fine Art to study sculpture.
Combining his family legacy with his passion for fine art, he created his own jewelry line, [Link to External Ben-Amun site]Ben-Amun[/Link]. He explains: “I wanted to create jewelry as art. Jewelry as sculpture.”
Returning to Sculpture
Recently, Manevitz has gone back to his original love: sculpting. Although he considers his jewelry “wearable fine art sculptures,” he wanted to tackle sculpting on a larger scale.
To make this happen, he purposefully made time for himself. Once a week, he turns his garage into a studio. Deeply inspired by Louise Nevelson, he admires how she combines random objects in a purposeful way.
He notes: “Her pieces are also a lesson in how to take both the positive and negative elements… finding a way to make them work together is the trick.”
The Immigrant Experience as Art
His mission is to find harmony amidst chaos. For him, this ties back to his history immigrating to the United States.
He observes: “Being an immigrant… you see all these different people… living together, and it seems chaotic at first but it ends up being harmonious.”
Therefore, Isaac Manevitz art represents different pieces coming together to create one big beautiful unit. He mixes old things with unique textures and colors to create something new.
Furthermore, he has taken a step away from metal. Instead, he focuses on wood. He finds that wood has a different energy and feels more organic.
Sculpture Assembled Like Painting
Manevitz considers his pieces a cross between sculpture and painting. He asks: “What if sculptures were assembled like paintings? Putting in each piece for me is like painting a brush stroke.”
Always trying to find symbiotic contrasts, he mixes media. He wants negative and positive, hard angles with softness. Starting small, he has now begun to dream bigger. Currently, he experiments with color and mirror placements to mix the real and the imaginary.
Sharing the Vision
Until now, his works existed only in his private home. However, Manevitz is now compelled to share his sculptures with a wider audience. As he has done so, he has been touched by the positive response.
Ultimately, you can see his story in each piece. From the bold colors of his childhood to the contrasting shapes of his jewelry, it is all there. Most importantly, Isaac Manevitz art reflects his vision of the United States: chaos, difference, and color working together to create a harmonious whole.
