INTRODUCTION
I first saw Larissa Podgoretz' ethereally beautiful work in the October 1991 issue of Glass on Metal Magazine ( Volume 10, No. 5 ); it has shone undiminished in my memory ever since.
( Coincidentally, the making of the free-standing commission piece "Iris" - picture number 7 in this article - is the subject of an excellent article in Glass on Metal ©, Volume 23, No.1, February 2004. Order or subscribe via the GOM website. )
Each generation seems to produce a few great artist-goldsmith-enamellers - gifted, focussed individuals whose work will be wondered at and admired as long as Man has eyes to see and a heart to feel. Larissa Podgoretz is one of those rare creatures. Most of the pieces depicted here are eminently wearable jewels of one sort or another but Ms Podgoretz also produces larger panels and freestanding pieces.
Born in 1948 in Lvov, USSR, Podgoretz migrated to Israel in 1957 then to the U.S. in 1962. In 1971 she received a B.A. in Russian Literature and Art History from Queens College, CCNY, New York City, and in 1976 a B.F.A. in gold and silversmithing from Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, Jerusalem, Israel.
Podgoretz was the recipient of Outstanding Achievement Prizes and scholarship grants in 1975 & 1976 from the ISRAEL-AMERICAN CULTURAL FOUNDATION. From 1979 to 1985 she lectured at Bezalel Academy and worked on her own as a studio jeweler. Early works were painted enamels on solid ground coats, set in 18k and 22k gold.
In the late 70’s she was commissioned to restore an 18th century enameled cross for the Greek Patriarchate. The commission included making some small enamels in similar style for a complementing pectoral necklace. It was an opportunity to study how various techniques were used in combination on traditional Limoges pieces.
That approach eventually led her to the point where with each new project she now commands "a nearly limitless palette of effects that convey light, shadow, color, depth and space" which she uses to determine the “feel” and atmosphere of a piece.
From 1985 to 1995 Podgoretz lived and worked in the U.S.A. and in 1995 returned to Jerusalem, Israel. She continues however to also work and show in the U.S.A.
Larissa Podgoretz
