The sculptor Shimon Drory
Shimon was born in 1935 in the old city of Jerusalem. In the Independent war participated the youth-brigade of the "HAGANA", in the blockaded city. After the Jordanian Legion occupied the old city he was transferred to a spot where prisoners of war were gathered, from which he succeeded to run as a refugee through Zion Gate back to "Katamon", that was in "Hagana's" hands.
He was recruited to the I.D.F. and served with the Marines, upon the "Miznak" destroyer. In Sinai war was recruited again and finished his army service as A.B.C. officer. Being released from the army he worked as a senior sailor with the commercial fleet. The first few steps in art was while forming the "Gate of images" in his home and teaching Art.
On the year 1960 he married Ziva Garbovski of Yavne'el and a father of 4 and a grandfather to 6. He earned his BA in Art & Education and MA degree in Educational administration & supervision in Haifa University. Drory was qualified as community worker of the social school in Jerusalem University. He was appointed as a consul in Haifa University. As a graduate of teachers seminar "Oranim" was teaching art sculpturing & painting. He was the pupil of the sculptors Michael Gross, Dan Cafri & Doroty, and of the painters: Sima Slonim, Arie Navon of Ein-Hod.
Shimon worked in sculpture workshops, in Carrera, Italy. He specialized in several kinds of marbles, in : CENTRO STUDIO DEL MARMO CARRERA. He also was teaching arts in the Particular Education Schools. He studied wood & metal sculpturing in Ramat Hadassah & Oranim. In the last few years he was helping in Tiberius to rehabilitate families who lost their sons in the army. He was active in "Hanoar Vehachlutz" movement, went to the U.S. to reinforce the relations with the Jewish community and the Zionist Youth in the U.S.. Drory worked in summer camps in "Rama" N.Y. were he was the head dept of sculpturing and the art of wood caring. In K. Tivon he was a member of the local Authority and a member of the social welfare committee. For 15 years he volunteered with Road Police the "Hytam" in K. Tivon & Tiberius. Today, while retired Drory is sculpturing in materials as - Marble-Carrera, Basalt-stone, Metal, Wood, Ceramic & Glass in his studio in Yavne'el.
The human image
In a retrospective album the artist represent part of his art pieces, which were made during his fruitful 30 years. The main theme is the human image. Part of the figures are abstract, made of Carrara marble and Marmar marble. Those material are mostly preferable of the artist as he learned to like them while working in workshops in Carrara, Italy. Another part is formed of metal, clay & concrete. In his sculptures the artist is expresses in favourite various marbles the woman's beauty, tenderness & gentleness, much more than the man's strength. Creating art lead Drory to be very perceptive to nature and he expresses his impressions precisely. While visiting Florence, Venice, Athena, Paris, Luxsemburg, he realized that placing human shaped sculptures in empty spaces in nature or in the town square, enables each person there & than to have an emotional experience.
Drory did contribute significantly to the environment in our country, about 10 sculptures are placed around different communities. He developed working skill with blocks of Rocks, forming a human figure that immerge out of the stone, revealing the sculpture that was hidden wrapped inside. A rock that is holding within it variety of forms and processes as they are kept frozen. Concerning the artist, this is the essence of work, that was done and completed, out of feeling deep love to life and to the forms in nature. His belief is full with hope and the yearn for creativity has no limits.
Drory does not look for inspiration. Achieving perfection will be accomplished through hard work, caused by the constant need to know and understand all the possibilities and limits of the material and the plasticity laws. As a sculptor he is situated always with the dilemma between the expressive form and the plastic form. Supreme solution comes into reality in the human body. The enceinte Greek nature influenced him, and so he studied soon the limits of the material and the plasticity laws in order to reach perfection in forming the human figure. Knowing all the possibilities which are hidden in nude and having the right concept of the human body and forming them in nature is the a real ambition to reach an equality of the human image in the abstract & naturalistic sculpturing. According to the artist , Interpretation of feeling, he marks the image lines of the human body with a wave of rhythmic movement of arching & concurs that express the position that created them.
During the blockade period of the old city of Jerusalem, Drory obtained from his father the spiritual & material values while he was dealing with metals, precious stones and creative craft. There began his acquaintance of metal of all kinds helping him in his studies & work with the sculptor Michael Gross who is very appreciated by Drory as a powerful great artist. Together they form an Environmental sculpture in Oranim college. Another talented sculptor that immensely influenced Drory was Dan Cafri. Drory was impressed by the gold and copper ornaments with the huge fresco paintings that were on the high dome ceiling of the synagogue "Rabi Yehuda Hachasid" where his father used to pray and of which the beauty and height overlooked all the churches and mosques of Jerusalem.
