Emanuel Schinagel (1919-2001) was predominately a self taught artist who left as his legacy a prolific body of works in a variety of media which represent an emerging refinement of skill, talent and creativity.

Born in Krakow, Poland, Emanuel immigrated to Sydney, Australia in 1949. His first works of art were glass mosaics, but he moved on to working with wood and stone, creating abstract sculptures, lino-cuts and finally focusing predominantly on oil paintings of which he produced over 50 canvases in the final 6 years of his life. While his works were never exhibited in galleries, his home included a studio and every wall and corner of the house reflected his artistic creations. In Emanuel’s works one can see the influences of his European Jewish heritage but also the influence of his artist mentors who he emulated, Chagall and Picasso and Modigliani in his paintings, and Henry Moore in his sculptures. Although Emanuel experimented with many different styles, each of his works are uniquely his own. In his paintings and lino-cuts this was achieved through his vivid and alluring use of colour, personal symbolism and an interplay between reality and fantasy, natural landscape and objects, movement and still life, sensuality and grotesqueness. His sculptures, which mainly took on the human female form in a variety of shapes, grew out of his symbiotic relationship with his materials, the idea ingrained in the wood or stone. This exploration of the female form continued throughout his works and particularly in his paintings of nudes.

Emanuel was a courageous artist who continually pushed himself to the edge of new discovery and insights. His works represent a personal   journey of artistic experimentation, refinement, resilience and persistence and his joy in the creative process.

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