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- 1. 1 THIS MATERIAL IS FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY
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- 5. 5 Prof. Bezalel Narkiss (z’ll) Founder, Center for Jewish Art Hebrew University, Jerusalem
- 6. “(Jewish Art) is…any object used by Jews to adorn their ritual, and any iconographic subject which enhances their understanding, their belief, and ways of education. In modern fine art it includes any work consciously created to express Jewishness by a Jewish artist.”
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- 35. 35 A very SPECIAL story about JEWISH ART…
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- 44. 44 We learn of the world from three sources: The book of wordswords The book of deedsdeeds and The Book of ART!ART! the last is the most reliable!
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Editor's Notes
- This Webinar is brought to you under the auspices of the Jewish Art Education (JAE) Organization
- The case feo JAJC JEWISH ART IN JEWISH CLASSROOMS
- What is JEWISH ART?
- PROFESSOR BEZALEL NARKISS-Founder, CJA, Hebrew Univ. Kuhnel, B. (Ed.) (1998). The Real and Ideal Jerusalem in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic Art. Jerusalem: HaMakor Printing Ltd.
- NARKISS’ DEFINITION OF JEWISH ART “(Jewish Art) is…any object used by Jews to adorn their ritual, and any iconographic subject which enhances their understanding, their belief, and ways of education. In modern fine art it includes any work consciously created to express Jewishness by a Jewish artist.”
- Depiction of a MENORAH This is the earliest known image of the Temple menorah, the primordial symbol of Judaism. Found in the excavations of the Old City of Jerusalem, scratched into the plaster on a wall of a 1st century BCE house, it depicts the alternating ‘knops and flowers’ as described in the Torah. It is possible that this artist actually saw the Temple Menorah.
- TORAH NICHE/PRAYER HALL-Dura-Europos (Syria) 244-45 CE Scheindlin, R. P. (1996). Chronicles of the Jewish People. NY: Friedman In the 3rd and 4th c., CE, building decoration shifted to the interior. This was common in the architecture of all the countries in the Middle East. This is the Torah Niche in the Prayer Hall of Dura-Europos, which means “fortress” of “Europos.” Notice the wall paintings, which are the first known figural images based on stories from the Hebrew Bible. Dura-Europos was a fortified caravan city on the Euphrates River. It was located on the eastern frontier of the Roman Empire. During Persian onslaught, inhabitants piled dirt against the walls, preserving those houses on the West wall. The Persians conquered the town, the surviving inhabitants were deported, and the City of Dura disappeared. Dura was destroyed in 256 CE In 1920, archaeologist uncovered them--almost 1700 years later!
- . DAYYEINU/It would have been Enough (Birds Head Haggadah)-So. Germany,13th c. Sed-Rajna, G. (Ed.). (1997). Jewish Art. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc This is the earliest surviving illuminated German Haggadah, used to tell the story of the Exodus, the main part of a Passover Seder. In the 13th c., a Rabbi permitted human figures in two-dimensional work, believing that they were a distraction, but, they did not violate the 2nd Commandment. His view was based on the fact that they were not concrete or graven; i.e. three-dimensional. Here, the humanoid bird-headed figures wear pointed Jews’ hats that were required of all Jewish men in early 13th c. Germany. The illustration is of the song “Dayyeinu” (It would be enough). This song continues at the top of the Passover Hit Parade. So, Frank Sinatra, watch out! This Hagaddah shows that Jews have sung this song for 800 Years! It is a scene with Manna Quails falling from heaven Moses receiving the two Tablets of the law Notice the sunburned “Hands of God” through the clouds The scribe, ‘Menahem,’ even signed his name
- SEVEN DAYS OF CREATION-Sarajevo Haggadah, 14th c., Barcelona In the 14th c. in Spain, these images show an artist’s view of the Creation of the World—along with the benefactor who paid for this “Sarajevo” Haggadah. How the booklet migrated from Spain to Italy to Sarajevo is another story. But here, in the most succinct visual terms, we see the developments of each day of Creation. There is a wonder-filled back story to this Haggadah, now in the Sarajevo Museum in Bosnia. Although the Hagaddah was created in 14th c. Spain, we know that it was in Italy during the 16th c., as there is a censor’s mark on it. By the late 19th c., this Haggadah had made its way to Bosnia and a 6 year old child brought it to school for “Show and Tell.” The teacher told the principal, who contacted the Director of the Bosnian Museum in Sarajevo. During WWII, the manuscript was hidden from the Nazis byt the Museum’s chief librarian, who risked his own life to smuggle it out of Sarajevo. It was stored in a Muslim site for safekeeping. During the Bosnian War in 1992, the Haggadah survived a museum break-in, but survived in an underground bank vault during the longest siege in the history of modern warfare.
- CREATION #6-Schwalb, Susan, 1988 Just to bring the idea of “What is Jewish Art” into the modern world, I show you a 20th depiction of “Creation” by a contemporary artist, Susan Schwalb. She uses silverpoint, a Renaissance drawing media to create her version of this awe-inspiring event. This is also one of the artworks in the JAJC curriculum.
- ARCH OF TITUS-Rome, 81 CE Barnavi, E. (Ed.) (1992). Historical Atlas of the Jewish People. NY: Knopf This is the world famous triumphal Arch of Titus, erected by Domitian. It was built in Rome in 81 CE as an example of the conquest of the victors over the vanquished
- THE SPOILS OF JERUSALEM-interior of Arch of Titus, 81 CE. Barnavi, E. (Ed.) (1992). Historical Atlas of the Jewish People. NY: Knopf. Inside the Arch of Titus is a relief, an image that is raised from the background but is not three-dimensional or “in-the-round.” The relief depicts the Romans removing their “Spoils” or treasures from King Solomon’s Temple after their conquest in the year 70 of the Common Era. There are many objects shown, but the most prominent is The Temple’s Menorah (or lampstand) thought to have been made (or covered) in gold. No one knows where they took it or where it is today. So, please check your closets or your attic when you get home!
- MONA LISA OF THE GALILEE-Zippori/Sepphoris Natl. Park, 3rd c., C.E. Weiss, Z. (1996). Promise and Redemption:... Jerusalem: Israel Museum This woman, discovered in the early 1980s, is still a mystery. We don’t know who she was or why she was depicted on this mosaic floor. However, we can learn a few things by looking closely at her image. For example, the illusion of three-dimensional space is a style adopted from the Romans. You can see this by the light on the left and shadow on the right. This process, called perspective, tricks the eye to believing that the subject has depth. In addition, Zippori or Sepphoris was an important center in the Lower Galilee. It was the crossroads of the commercial routes in the 3rd c., CE and linked east and west, north and south. Jews lived there from the 1st century of the Common Era. In fact, by the 2nd c., C.E., it was the intellectual center of Judaism. In the mid-3rd c., an earthquake covered Zippori, which protected the mosaics
- AKEDAH (Binding of Isaac)-Bet Alpha, Israel, 6th c. Sed-Rajna, G. (Ed.). (1997). Jewish Art. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc Here’s another mosaic from the floor of a synagogue. It is from Bet Alpha, the most famous synagogue in the Northern Galilee. Marianos and his son Hanina made this mosaic and even signed it! They made this floor during the 6th century, under the reign of Emperor Justinian (518-527). Unlike the Mona Lisa of the Galilee, they were interested, NOT in the illusion of space but in the narrative or telling of a story, the Binding of Isaac . They even inserted the Hebrew names of the individuals in the story. They showed the sun burned hands of God coming from the clouds. The building at Bet Alpha was discovered in 1929 and its mosaics were preserved almost intact
- LISBON BIBLE- Lisbon, Portugal, 1483 Narkiss, B. (1992). Hebrew Illuminated Manuscripts. Jerusalem: Keter This is the carpet page preceding the main division of the Bible. It uses miniature text to create abstract patterns. This technique is called micrography. It is a style very popular during late medieval times. The text is an allegorical poem. A wide, decorated border frames the poem Verses outline foliage scrolls, geometric motifs, and interlacings
- HAFTORAH: THE BOOK OF JONAH-Haftarah, Yom Kippur. Cohen-Mushlin (1974). Jewish Art, Vol. 1-22,1996. Jerusalem: CJA On the afternoon of Yom Kippur, Jews in synagogues around the world will read The Book of Jonah. It is the Haftarah or reading from the Prophets. This image of Jonah and the big fish is created in micrography using the text of the Haftorah to create the image.
- TASCHLICH- Felsenhardt, Karl-1905. This early 20th century print, by Karl Felsenhardt shows a group of men and some young boys standing by a body of water, casting their sins away for the ritual of Tashlich. Their clothing, dress, and demeanor tell us much about where and when they lived. Jewish Art can describe.
- PATUACH SAGUR PATUACH (OPEN CLOSED OPEN) BOX-Tobi Kahn This is a contemporary interpretation of the substance of the Tashlich ritual. The artist, Tobi Kahn wrote: The Tashlikh ritual allows us to enact the casting off of our inevitable shortcomings. On the second day of Rosh Ha-Shanah, Jews have symbolically tossed their failings into the water, usually by emptying their pockets or throwing crumbs of bread into a lake or river. This vessel is designed to hold the invisible memories of our own darkness and harm, disappointments we accrue but can shed each year. The Tashlikh box clarifies what we must leave behind. And so we weave our lives between the need to discard and the mandate to remember, longing to relinquish our transgressions, to take wing past hovering darkness, to amplify the light. Like Jacob, we lay our heads on a pillow of stone to dream of angels. Bound to earth, dust to dust, we can—through art, through love—construct a ladder to transcendence, compelled to make something beautiful of loss, of limitation: the rent fabric of our unredeemed world.
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- FRONTISPIECE TO THE KOL NIDRE PRAYER-Mahzor, 1320 Sed-Rajna, G. (Ed.) (1997). Jewish Art. New York: Abrams. Prayer book for the Festival Season (Mahzor) Lake Constance region. Parchment, ink, gouache, burnished and mat gold.34.5 x 24.5 cm Bodleian Library, Oxford (Ms. Mich 619. fol 100v) This 14th c. image shows that Kol Nidre has existed for over 700 years! The design grows from the two Hebrew letters: Caf and lamed. Together they spell “Kol,” meaning “all;” i.e. all vows Some of the illustrations in this Mahzor, or Prayerbook for Holidays, are in a distinctive style. This artist collaborated on the illumination of this piece. It was produced in a monastery near lake Constance in Germanic lands. These prayer books were meant for use in synagogues. The community owned the books and shared the costs of their manufacture. The artists were independent. In 1348, the production of liturgical manuscripts was abruptly halted due to the Black Death. Many persecutions also ended the flourishing cultural life there
- JEWS ON THEIR WAY TO SELICHOT-Jakob Steinhardt, 1921 Snyder, J. (2004). The Jewish World 365 Days. NY: Harry N. Abrams Oil on canvas. 79 x 90.3 cm Gift of Ora and Moshe Yavnai, Tel Aviv, in memory of their parents Esther and Pinchas Yevnoson. 1225.77 Photograph: Israel Museum/ Avraham Hay The High Holiday season is ushered in the week before Rosh Hashonah with a special late night service, called Selichot, the Hebrew word for “Excuse Me’ or “My apologies.” The artist, Jakob Steinhardt shows men as they walk to their synagogue at night. Their crowded East European village is behind them as they move forward toward a New Year. Jakob Steinhardt was born in1887 in Germany and died in1968 in Israel.
- THE TALMUDIST-Jacques-Emile Edouard, Amsterdam, 1897 Korn, I. (1996). A Celebration of Judaism in Art. NY: Todtri The “Amida” is the “Silent” or “Standing” prayer and is part of three traditional daily and holiday services. The artist for this painting was Jacques-Emile-Edouard Brandon, who came from a Spanish-Portuguese Bordeaux Jewish family. He made this painting from studies he did In Amsterdam in the Portuguese synagogue there. It records the scale and light of the interior. It culminates over 30 years of his artistic work on Jewish life.
- RAM’S HORN, MENORAH AND DIVINE HAND-Ben Shahn, 1958 Korn, I. (1996). A Celebration of Judaism in Art. NY: Todtri Productions This is the preliminary painting for a synagogue mosaic in Temple Ohef Shalom in Nashville, Tennessee. Ben Shahn was born in 1898 in Kovno, Lithuania, the son of a woodcarver. The family moved to Brooklyn in 1906 and he apprenticed to a lithographer and studied at the Educational Alliance. In 1951 he taught at Black Mountain College and in 1956-57, at Harvard University. Shahn gained an international reputation and was actively engaged in making art for synagogues in the post-WWII years. These were often based on biblical themes using Hebrew calligraphy. Ben Shahn died in New York in 1969.
- BLOWING THE SHOFAR-Malcah Zeldis, 1993 McDonough, Y. Z. (1996). Moments in Jewish Life: The Folk Art of Malcah Zeldis. NY: Friedman/Fairfax. This painting, “Blowing The Shofar” takes us inside the neighborhood temple that the artist’s grandparents attended. In fact, her grandfather is seated in the back row on the left wearing a black hat. Some people are specially trained to blow the shofar as it requires skill and practice. The order of the notes is strictly prescribed and there can be no deviation from its traditional form. Either a congregant or the rabbi calls out the Hebrew names for the notes to be sounded.
- THE BOAT TICKET-(aka Journey to America)-El Lissitzky, 1922 Grossman, G. (1995). Jewish Art, China: Hugh Lauter Levin Assoc., Inc The photograph on the left is of the artist, El Lissitzky Eliezer (El) Lissitzky was denied admission to a Russian art school He studied instead in Darmstadt, Germany He worked for the Jewish Ethnographic Society This group financed documented Jewish art by the Dneiper River entranced by the architecture Charmed by the Painted interiors of the wooden synagogues Lissitzky influenced by the Cubists and new approaches to art Lissitzky combines various elements to produce a collage It is a powerful and enigmatic work The boat ticket was a symbol of hope for eastern European Jews Juxtaposed with the Hebrew letters “Pey” and “nun” These letters stand for words: “PO” for “Here” and “NUN” for “Nitman” for “concealed” Used on gravestones to indicate: “here lies buried” Did Lissitzky think Jewish life would be “buried” in America?
- MARY SILVERSTEIN-Brooklyn, New York, 1910 Teck Family Collection The largest influx of Jews came to America in the early 20th century They mostly came from Eastern Europe (Russia and Poland) Some came as young children Some, like this cute little two-year old, were born in America They were born to newly arrived immigrant parents Photograph was on a postcard mailed to family in “The Old Country” This little girl was photographed between two American flags This was to prove that she was 100% American This image demonstrates the importance of “Memory” Hebrew: “leh dor ‘v dor,” i.e. “from one generation to another”
- ALL LEARNING BEGINS WITH CURIOSITY AND A QUESTION!
- DANZIG 1939: TREASURES OF A DESTROYED COMMUNITY Mann, V. & Gutmann, J. (1980). Danzig 1939:Treasures of a Destroyed Community, NY: Jewish Museum This is the Catalog for an important exhibition of Jewish art objects The story of Danzig Jewry shows the power of the art objects included The main essay is titled: “What shall we tell our Children?” The answer is that we ALL must teach!
- THE FREE CITY OF DANZIG: 1919-1939. Mann, V. & Gutmann, J. (1980). Danzig 1939:Treasures of a Destroyed Community, NY:Jewish Museum Danzig is Gdansk in Polish It is a port city at the mouth of the Vistula River It went back and forth from Poland to Germany over many centuries Jews lived there from the 17th century-- over 300 years! This is longer than most Jews have lived in the United States. After World War I, Danzig became a Free City Danzig was somewhat like Washington, DC It did not belong to either Poland or Germany It was under international protection It was a free port without any visa restrictions
- THE FIVE JEWISH COMMUNITIES OF DANZIG Mann, V. & Gutmann, J. (1980). Danzig 1939:Treasures of a Destroyed Community, NY: Jewish Museum In 1869, the Jews of Danzig achieved full legal equality A Prussian law mandated one Jewish community They had five active and vibrant kehillot (communities) Each Kehillot had its own unique characteristics
- THE GREAT SYNAGOGUE OF DANZIG, 1939 (Interior) Mann, V. & Gutmann, J. (1980). Danzig 1939:Treasures of a Destroyed Community, NY: Jewish Museum The interior had seating for 1500 congregants Women sat in the upstairs balcony as this was a ‘liberal’ synagogue By 1939, the synagogue was almost 50 years old!
- THE GREAT SYNAGOGUE OF DANZIG, 1939 Mann, V. & Gutmann, J. (1980). Danzig 1939:Treasures of a Destroyed Community, NY:Jewish Museum This law culminated in the construction of ONE Synagogue 1887-The Great Synagogue was completed It symbolized the unity of Danzig Jewry It also represented their involvement as part of the life of the city This is the facade of The Great Synagogue in 1939 Between 1920-25: 60,000 Jews passed through Danzig These Jews came mostly coming from Eastern Europe The port of Danzig was known as a “Free City”
- THE GREAT SYNAGOGUE OF DANZIG, 1939 (Façade with placard) Mann, V. & Gutmann, J. (1980). Danzig 1939:Treasures of a Destroyed Community, NY:Jewish Museum. The placard reads: “Come, dear May, and rid us of the Jews!” May 1933: Nazi victory started the tragic final era The Nuremberg Laws made Nazi race theories the law of the land Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass) followed Nov. 12-13, 1938 The Jewish leaders of Danzig had a dilemma What could they do to save the lives of the Jews of Danzig? Emigration was the highest priority, because… Preserving LIFE is a cardinal principle of Judaism The question was how to finance the emigration of 10,000 Jews? Many of these people were poor with few vocational skills And…..they had no MONEY! How did these Jewish leaders solve their dilemma? Where could they find sufficient money? They decided to “SELL” their art objects to an American Jewish group They used the money to ransom their Jews from the Nazis There was a caveat to the “sale” The caveat was for a Jewish community in Danzig in 15 years, i.e. 1954 If that existed, then the art objects would be returned They saved over 7500 lives!
- PAROCHET (Torah Ark Curtain)-Danzig, 1795 Mann, V. & Gutmann, J. (1980). Danzig 1939:Treasures of a Destroyed Community, NY:Jewish Museum This is a Parochet, or curtain for the front of the Torah Ark It exemplifies one of 12 crates of Jewish art objects that were ‘sold’ It is of Red velvet with weave-patterned silk with silk embroidery Two twisted columns with grapevines and flowers frame the center The Hebrew inscriptions are all in the center zone The top says: “Crown of Torah” above the crown, lions, and tablets Adjacent to the tablets are “Leib/Rachel” the names of the donors Below the tablets are “The year [5]555=1795
- THE GREAT SYNAGOGUE OF DANZIG, 1939 (Dismantling) Mann, V. & Gutmann, J. (1980). Danzig 1939:Treasures of a Destroyed Community, NY: Jewish Museum This is what happened to the Great Synagogue of Danzig Unfortunately, there was no Jewish community in Danzig in 1954 Today, only the beginnings of a Jewish community in Danzig exist The Danzig artworks are in the Jewish museum in NYC The ‘Sale’ saved all but 100 of the 60,000 Danzig Jews who lived in Danzig This story of DANZIG: TREASURES OF A DESTROYED COMMUNITY is a story of “ART IN EXCHANGE FOR LIFE!” Another important Jewish art story of the same period:
- WE LEARN OF THE WORLD THROUGH THREE SOURCES…
- IN THE ART WORLD, IT IS SAID THAT….