Born in Kibbutz Afek/Israel, now lives and work in Tel Aviv. Jonathan studied at Tel Hai Art School. His work reflects a contemporary take on modernism in the context of modern Israeli artists. Gold’s paintings often reference the interaction between the individual and the group, men and women, painter and viewer, creating a systematic and comprehensive view of what he calls “local secularism.” Gold’s work has been exhibited in many galleries and museums in Israel and globally, and his awards include a 1992 study scholarship from the Reuben and Edith Hecht Museum, Haifa and the 2008 Prize for the Encouragement of Creative Art from the Ministry of Science, Culture and Sport.
Gold’s work is inspired by his roots in the kibbutz community of “Beautiful Israel” and by his close affinity with Israeli history and art. His images, drawn from the canon of Western modernism, together with more recent sources such as Instagram, TV, and street scenes, play on the dialectic between continuity and rebellion. His materials are traditional paints, but he creates them himself from a mixture of glue, cold wax (cera colla) and pigments. This creates a flat, matt surface that allow him to envisage radical new modes of painting that incorporate themes of partialness and disintegration in their interpretation of modernity.
