A baby appears to float among the clouds above a stroller. A Ferris wheel is suspended strangely in the sky while children walk below. In another scene, a railroad stretches toward a landscape featuring an anvil, a factory, and a lone figure. Artist and painter Isaac Zaks deliberately avoids explaining exactly what his paintings mean, choosing instead to allow viewers to form their own interpretations.
His paintings are designed to trigger a question before an answer: “What am I looking at?”
Zaks, who was born in Israel and now works from his studio in New Jersey, describes his recent work as conceptual painting. Yet that description only partly captures the experience of viewing his work. Familiar people, objects, and environments are presented with recognizable detail before being placed into situations that could only exist through imagination. The contrast is deliberate, reflecting his belief that the meaning of a painting ultimately belongs, at least in part, to the person viewing it.
He explains, “My paintings are all about leaving you with questions. It’s none of my business to respond to what people think. Everybody who views the picture can have their own interpretation of what the answer is.”
This philosophy marks a major change from the highly detailed paintings Zaks created earlier in his career. For years, he focused on reproducing photographs, enjoying the technical challenge of accurately capturing every detail. Over time, however, he began questioning the purpose of reproducing something that a camera had already captured.
He says, “We’re living in a period where we have cameras. Why would I want to copy the photograph?”
That realization pushed him toward creating images that cannot be fully explained or resolved by photography. His current work explores dreams, aspirations, and the uncertain space between what is real and what could be imagined. A mother pushing a stroller while a baby appears to rest on a cloud might evoke grief for one viewer, hope for another, or perhaps the fears and imagination associated with parenthood.
Zaks is comfortable with all of these interpretations.
The inspiration for that particular painting came after a trip to the Venice Biennale, where he saw an installation featuring babies at the Japanese Pavilion. The image stayed with him, eventually leading him to imagine one of those babies among the clouds. While the initial idea had a clear source, the finished painting developed into something much more open to interpretation.
That process reflects the unusual path that led Zaks to his current artistic style. He studied art at Beit Zvi in Ramat Gan, later earning a degree in biology from Ben Gurion University before studying product design at ArtCenter College of Design in California. Much of his professional career was spent in industrial design, invention, and creative development.
Although science never became his profession, Zaks believes his scientific education played an important role in shaping his artistic perspective.
“I never regret studying biology, even though I never really did anything with it,” Zaks says. “I thought it was an amazing addition to my life. It was a tremendous help in broadening my perspective, expanding my knowledge, and giving me new things to aspire to.”
Creativity was also present in his family from an early age. His mother painted as a hobby, while his father operated a sculpture foundry, giving Zaks regular exposure to artists and physical works of art. His grandfather was an inventor who developed orange-juice squeezing equipment in Israel during the 1920s. In his family, creativity existed both as artistic expression and as practical invention.
Watercolor continues to be Zaks’ preferred medium, partly because it allows him to work quickly. Although he has incorporated oil painting into his practice, the longer drying time can challenge his preference for immediacy. He jokes that watercolor suits the fast-moving pace of his life.
His sense of humor can also be found within his paintings. A sardine, a tomato, and a sardine tin can come together in a composition titled Sardines Tomato Sauce. In other works, ordinary objects take on new significance simply because they are placed next to something unexpected. Zaks describes this as an interest in connections and the mental leap that occurs when familiar objects are combined in unfamiliar ways.
His birthplace adds another dimension to his work. Zaks recognizes the contrast between being associated with a country so deeply connected to conflict and creating paintings centered on dreams, imagination, and alternative realities.
That contrast is particularly interesting because questions are central to both his identity and his art. A country can raise questions about history, identity, and belonging, while a painting can raise questions about perception and meaning. Zaks does not attempt to resolve either.
Instead, he leaves the interpretation open.
His paintings begin with his imagination, often influenced by experiences, memories, or seemingly ordinary encounters. Once the work leaves his studio, however, its meaning is no longer entirely his to control. A stroller might represent grief, hope, or fear. A Ferris wheel might suggest childhood, escape, or simply the strange beauty of an impossible object floating above an otherwise ordinary landscape.
For Zaks, there is no need to determine a single answer. The painting asks the question, and the viewer decides what it means.
Email: iz@issaczaks.com
