Concern on Canvas
DAPHNA MARGOLIN has a couple of “firsts” to her credit.
She was the first private citizen from Israel to be invited to visit Egypt after pleasing President Anwar Sadat with a portrait of him at prayer. And she was the first person to make possible the exchange of pen-pal letters between Israeli and Egyptian children.
Margolin, an artist born in Kibbutz Tel Yosef, recently returned from a week in Cairo. Where her car was preceded by a motorcycle escort and where she was received warmly by local citizens:
The visit to the English school in Cairo was the most moving. And the painter, who conducts classes in the “Quality of life” in Herzlia and Kfar-Saba, brought home letters written in English and Arabic for her pupils; “I welcome your friendship very much… I assure you that you’ll be very much welcomed if you decide to visit Cairo,” wrote Hala Nosseir, or Hellopolls, to Ya’acov Azulai, of Herzlia. “I have never thought of having an israelian (slc) friend, but I am really interested. I would like very much to be your friend.”
DAPHNA Margolin’s Interest in environmental protection and ecology stemmed from painting. The tall, blonde artist gradually discovered that the landscapes she put on canvas were being destroyed by the encroachment of industry.
So in 1976 she held and exhibition at Tel-Aviv’s Chermerinsky Art Gallery of “ecological paintings”
Depicting the ravaging of nature by technology.
“Since then, I have moved on to what I call earthscapes,” she says.
The “earthscapes” In dazzling colors, depict a rapidly shrinking earth compelled to accommodate an ever-increasing number of people and objects.
MARGOLIN, allways interested in “the chemistry between people” decided two years ago to impart her new found truths about the environment to Israel’s youth.
She began at Herzliya’s Hanadiv primary school by producing an experimental course, given by the class teachers and guest lecturers under her supervision. The course was designed to inculcate in the older pupils an “awareness of their immediate home and school surroundings.” Improving the environment could make life more pleasant. She asserted. Clean courtyards and lawns. Freshly and colorfully painted classrooms, flowers, even an atmosphere of noiselessness, were all introduced. “I even tried to get them to make a musical bell to announce Intermissions,” she says (the effort filed for technical reasons) In 1978, a Herzliya junior high school headmistress became interested in her environmental concern and a more advanced course was prepared for 13 to 15 year old “It also aims to produce citizens who will not be indifferent to their surroundings good citizens,” says Margolin, The course involves frequenty field trips and slide shows to make its point. “If you teach them now that industrial plants must have filters then perhaps when they grow up and work in industry, the installation of filters will seem natural and necessary, not something to avoided because of costs,”
Margolin claims that interest in environmental problems, while not as widespread as in the U.S., is fast growing in Israel, She also believes that schools have done far too little to nurture programmes designed to match that interest. But she hopes that major barrier – “or awareness of the problems” – will be overcome. Solving the problems themselves will follow “Otherwise,” she warns, “The earth will look like hell”.
Quotes from the press
Sadat has asked to take care of you as on the apple of his eyes"…..
Sadat has asked to take care of you as on the apple of his eyes"…..
Daphna does not care for politics. She has statues and paintings, many of them are dedicated to ecological themes. Amongst them there is one painting of Answer S a d a t in a meditative pose, which was given to the president while he was in Haifa.
He was surprised at the beauty of the portrait, kissed her on both of her cheeks and invited her to Egypt and when the “Rais” (Boss) Invites – one is going…
Daphna brought to the children of Egypt letters from the children of Herzlia, Where she lives, and an album of pictures which shows how one lives in Israel, what one eats, drinks, sings and how they dance…
“I entered into every class and the children told me again and again:” We love you, we don’t want to here anymore about wars. Only about love.”
You must visit us in Cairo
…Sadat, overwhelmed by this gesture, murmured, “Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful”, and turning to the painter, he said: “You must visit us in Cairo”
During the year Daphna is a teacher on the quality of life.
“Davar,” 7.9.79
Sadat, looking at his portrait, painted by Daphna Margolin which was presented to him before he left Haifa
“Ma’ariv”, 7.9.1979
The Painter Daphna Margolin has been invited to visit Cairo
The portrait of the President of Egypt, Anwar Sadat, being at prayer, has been painted by the Israeli painter Daphna Margolin. She had already begun to paint the portrait after the first historic visit of Sadat in Jerusalem.
The portrait was shown first to Jihan Sadat and after she liked the picture, the painter was hurried from her home in herzlia to Hifa to present her painting personally to the President of Egypt.
Sadat was deeply moved when seeing this gift and murmured: “Wonderful, wonderful, I am overcome by the beauty of the portrait.” Turning to the beautiful painter, he said:” You have caught my personality and I thank you for it.”
“Sharon News”, October 1979
Cairo Trip for Artist
…When I met President S a d a t at the Dan Carmel Hotel in Haifa he told me “I am astonished and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You have captured my personality. You must come to Cairo.”
The week in Herzlia
November 1979
The painter Daphna Margolin has flown as planned before, to Cairo, as the guest of the Office of President Sadat, Meanwhile we have been informed that Daphna has been chosen to represent I s r a e l at an international meeting of the winners of the “vocation Fund” which will take place in Paris this year.
Exhibition in the Chemerinsky Gallery
Tel-Aviv, 1976
The first exhibition of a young painter Daphna Margolin. Though she has displayed her paintings too close, there does not escape from the eye her genuine talent. Here is a painter which possesses everything to become a great painter. In addition to a natural instinct of refined colors, something rarely to be found! Excellent are her paintings of lyric and abstract landscapes.
“Al Hamishmar” 11.11.1976
Exhibition in Kfar Saba
Jan./Febr 1979
An exhibition of the painter Daphna Margolin, of Herzlia, took place in Kfar Saba. The exhibition was devoted to abstracts, nature and desert landscapes. The Lord Mayor of Kfar Saba, Mr. Se’ev Geller opened the exhibition in the presence of many art-loving visitors from Kfar Saba, Herzlia and the surrounding settlements.
“Hashavua be’Herzlia”, Febr.1979