Leah Raab, born in Trenton, N.J., 1952, is a professional fine artist who concentrates on painting and drawing. After beginning her studies at the University of New Hampshire, she moved to Israel, received her BFA and graduated with highest honors from the Bezalel Academy of Arts in Jerusalem. Leah received her MFA from the New York Studio School and now resides in Manhattan. Leah has taught art and has exhibited her work in the United States and in Israel for over 35 years. Her work can be viewed at www.leahraab.com.
The complexities and paradoxes of my life are exposed through the internal conflicts in my works. As I constantly move between the cultures of Israel and the United States, I use color and brushstroke to paint landscapes and cityscapes that are familiar and significant to me so that they appear tranquil on the surface, yet threatened by a looming, ominous foreboding that may erupt in violence at any moment. These are my worlds, where a sinister reality lies beneath the seemingly innocuous.
"The Shovelers" (oil on linen, 51" x 56") is my depiction of municipal workers on the streets of New York on a snowy winter's day. My theme relates to things hidden beneath the surface, and how external appearances are not always as they seem. The workmen are involved in the act of shoveling, or uncovering that which is subtle and not always apparent.
The Shovelers (oil on linen, 51" x 56")