Israelis and Indians are same; they are fighters, says Israeli artist Yigal Ozeri, whose works were on display in Delhi

Q. You said you started as an abstract artist and then took to photo-realism. How did it happen?

A. My journey as an artist started in my childhood when my father used to take me to Jerusalem to draw the surrounding landscape. I knew from a tender age that this was my form of expression. In Israel, at that time, realism wasn’t taught in most art schools. I started out rendering, collaging, and painting abstract paintings.

When I left the country and came to Europe and America, I came to know about realist painters like Diego Velazquez. I was taken by surprise and needed to express myself in similar ways. I came to understand that if I didn’t know how to paint a portrait I couldn’t call myself an artist.

In America, I saw this life and excitement, and I began capturing it little by little. It took 25 years until I became a realistic painter, and then I became a photo-realistic painter.

Most artists start with realistic painting, and then their art becomes abstract or conceptual. In my case, it was the opposite.

Q. Your paintings often feature young women in their natural settings. What draws you to this subject matter, and how do you choose those?

A. I am drawn to intimacy and beauty. I am greatly influenced by the Pre-Raphaelite English painters, who focused on imitation of nature as a form of art and Romanticism. I am drawn to the simplicity of human connection to nature. Women are one of the most painted subjects in art history. And to me, they are the most important. I celebrate women and all of their glory.

Q. You are presenting your work in Delhi. What were some of the places here that fascinated you as an artist and why? What are the things about the city that you loved the most?

A. The last time I was here, I was fascinated by the colours, people, fragrance and energy. I loved how the people were so friendly and straightforward. I visited a market in old Delhi, and I was inspired by the energy and the chaos there.

At the show, there is one piece of a man who sells books. The man looked to me like a painting of Diego Velazquez. There is a painting by him that is similar to that [look]. He was looking at me and I took a photograph. When I painted it, it came out so authentic and strong.

I paint and capture the people in rickshaws, those who sell textiles, people who sell a lot of spices… My work in India is not too different from what I capture at the markets in America. It’s the same feeling, even if it is too different. I feel at home here. I came here and I felt that I have seen the same things in Jerusalem, or a marketplace in America. It’s always interesting to see the connection between them.

Q. You talked about cities and how they are not so different from each other when it comes to life there. So, how much life in the cities, especially in New York, has influenced your artistic vision?

A. I was working with women in nature and dealing with beauty. Suddenly, my daughter asked me why I don’t paint people who live around me, in the streets. Then I started to go outside — in the diners, markets, subways — with a camera and it was a different world and energy. It was the reaction, the fastness, and the energy there.

I have a studio in New Jersey, which is like a small India. So everything is very similar; people go to the street everyday, and you see the chaos, colors, and people surviving. It’s not only about the beauty but about the chaos as well. How everything — good and bad — comes to life in the streets together.