Inside the Main Entrance, Bialik House
Inspired by Shira’s Tchochkes post, I paid the Bialik House a visit a few days ago and was pleasantly suprised by the beauty of it all. I totally lucked out with a private tour in English, given by a lovely, super knowledgeable young lady that the Museum has on staff just for people like me.
Entrance view from above
Here’s a bit more on Bialik House “right from the horses mouth “. Before my visit I was unaware of the design style “Russian Eclectic“. Russian culture carries with it the tradition of mixing color, pattern, decorative furniture, glass, textiles and artifacts all in the same breath. My guide pointed out that the doors and windows do not match throughout the house, a point that highlights this style.
Photo by Ron Shoshani
During the renovation, several layers of paint were removed to reveal the original colors; a vibrant red, blue and green which have been restored in a Venetian Plaster finish to the walls today. When the house was built, the tiles on these columns were custom made and matched to the walls which work together in perfect color coordination.
Notice the different floor tile patterns in the photos below. The gray and black patterned tiles seen in the entrance (first photo ) were made here in Israel, while the colorful tiles seen throughout the house were imported from Italy. The locally made tiles were used on the porches and in the entry way implying a commonplace material , while the imported Italian tiles were reserved for the inside of the house. Tiles of this kind are still being produced here in Israel today.
* I almost cried when she told me that during the renovation they removed all the original tile floors in the upstairs rooms and replaced them with parquet for better wear and tear.
Italian stone tile floor detail
Israeli stone tile floor detail
While the first floor was deemed a social space, the rooms on the second floor were considered private quarters. The softer wall colors in the photos below are a reflection of this detail.
The stencils seen here are original, also having been covered up with many layers of paint and then uncovered during the renovation. The beauty and originality of these patterns signal how personal this house was, designed especially for the admired “Hebrew poet” Hayyim Nahman Bialik and his wife as a residence here in Tel Aviv.
The stencil below is really something to write home about. The band below the stencil is “silver leafing“, special attention and additional finances were needed to restore this band to its original brilliance. This stencil is in Bialik’s work room / office, a place where he would go to find peace and quiet.
*The floor in this room was cork (a noise cushion) but was also replaced with parquet during renovation.
Stencil with silver leafing
I was told that the poet did not write one piece of poetry in the ten years that he lived in the house, there were too many social visitors which disrupted his creative mind… I am sure that the choice of bright colors fueled this fire. He actually moved out of town for the last year of his life (to the burbs) where he then composed four of his most famous works. Much of his work remains in the archives in the basement of the Bialik house, so in a sense; he is there in spirit still today.
Another view of the silver leafing
I found this home to be completely inspiring. While researching for this post I discovered that I share the same birthday (different year) with Hayyam Nachman Bialik… could it be that great artist think alike?!
If you are one to appreciate heritage, then a visit to the Bialik House is a must. Visiting hours are Sun – Thurs 9 – 5 and Fri 11- 2. Admission is 20 NIS.
Photo by Ron Shoshani (thanks Ron!)
