1938–1939 in Amsterdam. The influence of Vincent van Gogh can be seen in “Vase of Flowers and Still Life” (1938), in which the energetic brushstrokes and the theme typical of Van Gogh stand out. In his work “Through a Window” (1938), for example, Aroch depicts a Dutch urban landscape viewed through a window. In this work, and in others from this period, Aroch used the emphasis on the horizontal and vertical lines of the painting to divide the composition in a nearly geometrical and flat manner. On January 21, 1939, a solo exhibition by Aroch opened in the “Santa Landwer” Gallery in Amsterdam. The exhibition was covered in the local press, and the Parisian influence on Aroch was mentioned. Tel Aviv, 1939-1948 In 1939 he returned to Tel Aviv, where he mounted a solo exhibition at the Katz Gallery of many of the works he had produced in Amsterdam. His works from the 1940s continued in the style he had crystallized in the Netherlands, based on composition that is dominated by clear geometric division. During these years Aroch painted many landscapes. At the beginning of the decade Aroch painted a series of scenes of Zichron Yaakov and Haifa, in which he lived off and on from 1942 to 1946, while he served in the British army. In addition, he designed uniforms for the first Lahakat Tsahal (the national Military Band of what was then the Land of Israel), which gave its first programs in 1942 and 1943. During the entire first half of the decade he presented his work in group exhibitions held in the “Habima” building. When he participated in the “Exhibition of the Eight” that was held in December 1942 in the “Habima” building, Haim Gamzu remarked on his use of color, influenced by Van Gogh, and was awarded the Meir Dizengoff Prize for a Young Artist by the Tel Aviv municipality. In 1943 he married Dvora Koenig. After Aroch's release from the army in 1946, the couple moved to 120 Hayarkon Street in Tel Aviv, where he opened a studio in the small yard attached to their house. In 1947 Aroch participated in the Exhibition of “The Seven” at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. At this exhibition ten works of his were shown, including “Men on the Promenade” (1943) and paintings of other scenes. Eugene Kolb published a flattering critical article on Aroch's work, and described