Arie Aroch was an Israeli painter and diplomat born in Kharkiv, now Ukraine and then part of the Russian Empire. Aroch's work was a mixture of Pop Art and abstract art, along with elements from his biography. In addition, many scholars of the history of Israeli art have pointed out Aroch's pioneering use of Jewish themes in his works. His painting style included unstructured scribbling and drawing, and it influenced a broad range of artists, including Raffi Lavie, Aviva Uri, etc. Sarah Breitberg Semel, in her article, Agrippa versus Nimrod (1988), suggested Aroch as a model for the new Israeli concept of design in art, and suggested his painting, Agrippas Street was the representative of Jewish identity. In 1971, Aroch was awarded the Israel Prize in Painting for his work.

Joseph (Yossef) Zaritsky was one of the early promoters of modern art in the Land of Israel both during the period of the Yishuv and after the establishment of the State. Regarded as one of the most influential Israeli painters, Zaritsky is known for cofounding the "Ofakim Hadashim" group. In his works, he created a uniquely Israeli style of abstract art. For this work he was awarded the Israel Prize for painting in 1959.