Samuel Bak, has said he is “a painter speaking about the unspeakable.” and because what he says is true I have found it hard to write about this painter. It is easier to direct others to the many links where his art can be found for viewing, but so that this is more than just a link I will add the following comments.

Within Samuel Bak’s art are many commentaries missed by the casual viewer. There is a strong “Jewish” flavor to his paintings that I would liken to the sound familiar in Jewish folk music. We hear the sound but don’t immediately think of the religion, only that is is of jewish origin. Although Bak’s paintings are layered with images of the holocaust, or its remnants, it is not limited to the cruelty done to Jews, and it is not always the primary message. Many of his paintings provide me with an uninvited melancholy. They force me to look at subjects I would rather not. To some it would be easy to glance at his work and not be touched; but that is due more to our inability to look at anything disturbing. And to our natural state of being which panders to what we like and discards what we don’t like. Rarely do we (note the “we”) push ourselves far enough to consider another point of view. Samual Bak’s extensive body of work makes every attempt to show us another point of view. Let me encourage you to reflect on those points of view.

.