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On Site Brocha Miller Photos Meir haltovsky

Is inspiration and blossoming of talent reserved only for the young? Does there come a point in life when it is too late to tap into latent creativity?

For years, Eli Fruchter observed artists at their craft, collected precious paintings, and befriended the great Jewish masters of his generation. It was only after years of watching and waiting that Eli finally picked up a brush of his own. When he did, the strokes flourished into skilled artistry; art became both a consuming and fruitful passion. Growing up in Yerushalayim in the 1960s gave Eli his first taste for vibrant colors and luminous sunlight, as well as a lifelong love for the holy city. Im a Yerushalmi, he says proudly, not an Israeli. There is a difference. He does not explain what that difference is in words, preferring instead to let his paintings speak for him.

He would play in tHe streets for Hours, darting between tHe doorways and under tHe laundry lines strung across tHe road. young elis favorite Haunt was tHe MeaH sHeariM sHuk
6 Teves 5773 | December 19, 2012

Eli grew up in Jerusalems bustling Batei Ungarin neighborhood, close to his cousins and grandparents. He would play in the streets for hours, darting between the doorways and under the laundry lines strung across the road. Young Elis favorite haunt was the Meah Shearim shuk. Attracted by the variety of sights, sounds, and smells, he spent hours roaming through the marketplace and soaking in the scene. When Eli was 11 years old, his father accepted a job offer in Brooklyn and the family moved to Crown Heights. The adjustment to life in America was difficult, but he came from a family of Vizhnitzer chassidim and he was able to connect to the fervent ardor of Chassidus even on American soil. Eli attended the Bobover cheder, and he also came into contact with Lubavitch; he used to go to bed with a transistor radio tuned to the Lubavitcher Rebbes farbrengens, soaking up the Rebbes divrei Torah and chizuk until late into the night. After yeshivah, Eli taught elementary school English in the Vizhnitzer cheder in Williamsburg. Self-educated and self-motivated, Eli was responsible for teaching classes and coordinating the curriculum for the entire English department. When his close friend became engaged to a girl from Montreal, Eli traveled to Canada for the wedding. With the intensity and enthusiasm of a true Yerushalmi, Eli danced his heart out at his good friends simchah. His joyful celebration made an impression on the kallah and she immediately suggested

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On Site

before He would buy a painting, eli would spend Money on appeasing Me, referring to tHe gift of a piece of jewelry tHat would Herald tHe arrival of a new work of art
a shidduch for Eli with her Canadian friend, Faigy Weinberger. The young couple met and were married shortly afterwards. They settled in Boro Park, where Eli worked in real estate to support their growing family. At the beginning of their marriage, the Fruchters attended a sheva brachos in a shul on Ocean Parkway. Hanging in the hall was a small exhibit of paintings that included the work of Zvi Raphaeli, an Israeli impressionist artist. Eli found himself drawn to one painting in particular an oil on canvas depiction of a wedding in Tzfas. While gazing at the painting and admiring the short brush strokes and pure colors that captured the transient afternoon light, Eli felt something stir within him. He wanted to acquire this work of art, to possess it, and not just glance at it and move on. But the price tag of $1,500 was beyond the Fruchters budget, and Eli had to leave his beloved painting hanging on the wall of the shuls hall. But the painting stayed in Elis mind, where it ignited a passion for art that would eventually develop into a fiery force. With time, Eli was able to act upon that passion and he began to collect paintings. One of Elis first purchases was an oil painting by renowned artist Itzhak Holtz, which showed a sofer, his forehead creased in concentration, as he etched out the letters with his quill. Over the years Faigy Fruchter has learned to make peace with her husband filling up the wall space in their home and office, but it took time. In the beginning, it was hard for me when he would come home and bang holes in the walls. But before he would buy a painting, Eli would spend money on appeasing me, she says, referring to the gift of a piece of jewelry that would herald the arrival of a new work of art. After ten years in Boro Park, the Fruchters moved to the Seagate community in Brooklyn. I like a quiet neighborhood, Eli explains. Indeed, this private community by the sea [before much of it was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy] is known for both its peaceful atmosphere and for being the home of famous Jewish artists and musicians, including Mordechai Ben David and Yossi Green. It was at Seagate that Eli gave full expression to his hobby, acquiring more and more art. His collection included works from well-known Jewish artists, such as Lithuanian painter and sculptor Arbit Blatas, Israeli painter Shaul Viktor, chassidic artist Zalman Kleinman, and others. Acquiring paintings became a personal gain for Eli as well, since he developed relationships with the artists, befriending the individual behind each masterpiece. A particularly memorable friendship has been the one with Itzhak Holtz, a Polish-born Jew who studied art in the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Yerushalayim and New York Citys National Academy of Design. His sketches feature landscapes and street scenes of New York, as well as detailed paintings of Jewish scenes. Eli spent many hours with Holtz, observing the artist in his studio and discussing his favorite subject painting. By the time Eli was 50 years old, he had established a name for himself as a collector and dealer in the Jewish art world. While at an art exhibit at Yeshiva University, Eli was introduced to the celebrated Jewish painter Simon Gaon. An

American expressionist painter who is best known for his intense cityscapes, Gaon is also the founder of the Street Painters, a group of New York artists who paint directly from city life. Responding to the passion in Elis voice, Simon invited Eli to visit him in his studio. Why arent you painting? he questioned Eli. It took five years for Simons question to be answered. Elis father had passed away and he sought a way to fill the gap in his life. He went to see Simon Gaon, and the artist once again encouraged Eli to set up his own studio. I had no skills or technique, Eli remembers. But Simon was very persuasive. He guided me and gave me the confidence that I could do it. Eli attended a weekly tutorial with artist John Silver for about a year. Silver tutored Eli in the basics of brush technique and color theory. From there, Eli began to paint his own vision, but there were frustrations in the beginning. I wasnt confident, he explains. My work wasnt flowing. But Eli kept at it and today he can paint easily and freely, often producing a painting in as little as two weeks. Although he remains an active entrepreneur and devoted family man, he has produced more than 100 paintings during the past five years. I dont work with specific methods, Eli says. I work with passion. I can see the subject, and I use my natural intuition to bring it out.

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i Had been bottling up My art for so Many years tHat it just caMe pouring out. i was always an artist in My Heart, now i finally Have a way to express it
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Its an unusual process, painting with passion and instinct, as opposed to discipline and training. But with his love of light and color, combined with a powerful sense of composition, Eli is able to transmit the stirring visions he sees in his mind onto the canvas. Many of his paintings are familiar scenes from his own life a New York City park, the Shomer Shabbos shul in Brooklyn, and a street corner in Seagate. His favorite subject, though, is depicting the vibrancy of daily life in Eretz Yisrael the markets, courtyards, and shuls of his homeland. The colorful, multi-layered brush strokes in Elis portraits convey the many facets of his subjects, whether it is a chassidic master, a Sephardic scribe, or a beloved grandson. In his still life paintings, Elis sensitive eye reveals his connection to Yiddishkeit. In one of his first paintings, a still life of the Havdalah ceremony, Eli portrays the sizzling candle in the ruby pool of wine and alongside the plate lay six burnt matches, a zecher to the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust. Once Eli began painting, he tapped into a wellspring of images that were just waiting to be translated into paint. It was like a faucet being turned on, he says. I had been bottling up my art for so many years that it just came pouring out. I was always an artist in my heart, now I finally have a way to express it. In his quest for the perfect composition, Eli has also come to view his own life in a different light. He is always looking for opportunities to capture the scenes and faces around him. Art has helped Eli reinforce his connection with Yiddishkeit as well. Its opened up my mind to think more about what

Art After Sandy


When I met Eli and Faigy Fruchter, it was only three weeks after Hurricane Sandy pounded the New York City area, and the Seagate community was still recovering from the damage. Mrs. Fruchter was busy bringing garbage bags and bleach to the basement, which still showed signs of the kneedeep flood. The walls in the living room and hallways were lined with the paintings that Eli had rescued from the rising waters. But when asked if her husband will do any paintings depicting the flood, Mrs. Fruchter dismisses the idea. We dont want to focus on it. Were trying to move on and to rebuild. We dont even have any photos from the storm.

we do. I see things in a different light. Faigy has learned to adjust to the changes in her husband. I didnt marry an artist, she says. It took time to get used to it. What started out as a hobby has since developed into a business. His catalogue, Visions of My Soul, features selected landscapes, portraits, and still life scenes that are available for sale. His paintings are also featured in exhibits at the Betzalel Gallery in Brooklyn. When asked to name his favorite painting, Eli responds, Can you ask a father who is his favorite child? But even though he will not name one, Elis face does light up when he points out a painting of the Meah Shearim shuk, which hangs in his kitchen. The stone walls and colorful stalls, the Yiddishe souls and Jewish wares, embody all that Elis art stands for. Eli states simply, It is where I grew up. In those few words he eloquently conveys the warmth he feels for the scene. When our photographer, Meir, enters the kitchen and scans the room with his artists eye, his glance falls on the painting. Poh gadalti! This is where I grew up! Meir exclaims. Artist and photographer fall into rapid-fire Hebrew as they exchange memories, Meirs shining eyes reflecting Elis pride and passion for the painting. Later, when its time to part, Eli emphasizes that although now the paint seems to flow effortlessly, that ease is a result of many hours of practice. Hakadosh Baruch Hu gave me the talent, he comments. But I had to put in the effort to make it work, to turn the dream into tangible art.

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