Meir Appelfeld's 'Twilight': Where Light, Memory, and Mystery Meet

Perspectives, Mise en Abyme, Touches of Bright Color, Striking Contrasts, and a Keen Eye for Everyday Details: The Works of Renowned Israeli Artist Meir Appelfeld Cause a Stir in Tel Aviv. In a prominent gallery in the Florentine neighborhood—nestled next to a tropical garden filled with various works of art—Meir Appelfeld’s exhibition “At Twilight” was inaugurated. The artist takes us on an unforgettable journey through his oil paintings, which immerse the viewer in his captivating world. Still lifes, interiors, and breathtaking landscapes are portrayed with a technique that leaves no one indifferent. His works, true sources of inspiration, offer everyone the opportunity to explore their own imagination.

“This exhibition brings together my work from the past two years. I prepared for it at length, and it gave me a real goal to strive for. The French painter Georges Braque once said that ‘the subject is just an excuse to create a work,’ and that’s why I don’t work based on themes. The artwork itself is far more important than its subject. A theme is a way in—it gives meaning—but you can’t stop there. The piece must undergo a creative process and eventually acquire its own independence. It separates from the artist who created it in order to succeed,” explains Meir Appelfeld.

Appelfeld’s style strikes instantly. The precision of detail and his unique approach to reality provide visitors with a sense of fullness. Using a technique based on preliminary sketches and color contrasts, he draws inspiration from his inner world to perfectly reflect the reality around him. In this way, Meir manages to turn ordinary scenes into truly exceptional ones.

“I always choose a starting point, then let myself be carried away. During the creative process, new ideas emerge—it’s an incredible force that leads to the discovery of horizons that were not initially anticipated,” says Meir Appelfeld.

Imagined Interiors Drawn from the Strength of Memory

Meir mainly focuses on four subjects: still lifes, flowers, landscapes, and interiors. His still lifes are the result of long hours of observation, while the landscapes are painted after nature walks, during which he takes notes that later evolve into artworks. The interiors, however, are entirely imagined—they are never depictions of real places.

“When we talk about imagination, it’s not always clear. It includes elements of memory but also a great deal of invention based on experience. Imagination is hard to grasp—even for the painter himself. He’s trying to bring something hidden deep within to the surface. That’s why the creative process is essential and unique to each artist—it’s something deeply personal. A key that reveals to all what simmers within the painter’s soul,” says Meir Appelfeld.

Light Effects and Trompe-l’Oeil Perspectives

Observing to learn. According to Meir, who draws inspiration from the works of his predecessors, “each medium or type of paint has its limits and strengths—and we must be aware of them.” Oil painting is extremely versatile, and that’s why painters have loved it ever since it emerged 500 years ago—because it’s more unpredictable than tempera, which is water-based.

“I layer the paint using the imprimatura technique—first applying a very thin base layer to set the tone. When I add color, I can go along with that tone or work against it. I also like to reveal the ‘dead light’ on the canvas and let it fall back onto the objects I paint,” Meir reveals.

Perspective is key in Appelfeld’s work. In some of his paintings, mirrors create mise en abyme effects, making rooms appear to nest inside each other like Russian dolls. “It’s a great way to express the illusion of a space that continues beyond the canvas. You have to be careful that the viewer’s eye doesn’t dive too quickly into the depth of the room and immediately reach the vanishing point, where everything merges. That imaginary point is meant to help the painter construct the composition in perspective,” says Meir.

Appelfeld chose to name his exhibition “At Twilight”, symbolizing a moment between day and night—and also referring to a mythical time in the Bible when wonders occurred. The title also relates to the creative process, which exists between imagination and nature, between art and craft.

“In Hebrew, the words for ‘art’ and ‘craft’ are the same. Craft is the body, and art is the soul. I don’t think you can define a work of art—it’s elusive, always in-between. It’s also a form of language, like music. To me, twilight defines the artwork itself: something dialectical. A work reveals what is hidden, and this helps the viewer build their own understanding,” says Meir Appelfeld.

An Artist Rooted in Memory

Originally from Jerusalem, Meir is the son of renowned writer Aharon Appelfeld. He grew up in an artistic and intellectual environment. He studied music—specifically the violin—at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance in high school. After military service, he turned to visual arts and studied in London, earning a BFA from the Byam Shaw School of Art (1987–1991) and an MFA from the Royal Academy Schools (1991–1994). He also illustrated several of his father’s books, such as Badenheim 1939, It is Yet High Day (2001), and A Table for One (2002). His artistic work explores themes such as light, memory, and the urban landscape—especially Jerusalem, where he currently lives and works. His paintings have been exhibited in many galleries in Israel and abroad, including the Ben Uri Gallery in London, Rothschild Fine Art in Tel Aviv, Art Space Gallery in Jerusalem, and also in Italy.

Meir Appelfeld

Meir is already working on his next project, which will include large-format pieces with new subjects—introducing human figures into his interior scenes. Meir Appelfeld continues to enrich the Israeli art scene through his introspective work and his ability to evoke universal emotions through local scenes.

The exhibition “At Twilight” is on view at 2 Moshe Maor Street in Tel Aviv.

Caroline Haïat