Hidush in Torah and Art
Hidushei Torah (novella) are that which most join the human with the Divine. A Jew who merits to mehadesh in Torah (to create novella), in truth, we must understand well, that he has merited that his thoughts have ascended to the level of Torah which is Divine. There are also Hidushei Torah which are not […]
Chachmah and Binah
This is artwork which doesn’t attempt to represent something outside of itself. That is: a line remains primarily a line and is not used to represent a form of something we see before us with our eyes. Rather the line is an expression of the movement of the mind, tracing the path of thought, if […]
דרך אמונה בחרתי
רבינו הרב חיים ויטאל, זי”ע, כתב בשער המצוות (פרשת ואתחנן): “גם בענין עסק ההלכה בעיון עם החבירים, ראיתי למורי (האר”י) זלה”ה מתגבר כארי בכח בעת שהיה עוסק בהלכה, עד שהיה נלאה ומזיע זיעה גדולה, ושאלתי את פיו מדוע טורח כל כך, והשיב לי כי הנה העיון לשבר הקליפות, שהם הקושיא שיש בהלכה ההיא שאין מניחים […]
Purpose in Life
Original choice of art career. To use creative talents not towards the purpose of material gain. That my search for meaning and purpose in life led me to reject that pursuit of material sustenance was not the goal in life. Although I didn’t yet know the goal, but this pursuit, that almost all were pursuing—could […]
Intelligent Steps
One of the foundation stones of my artistic endeavors is based on the knowledge that the Torah is Divine Wisdom and perfect absolute intelligence, and upon the contention that, therefore, one who would behave according to intelligence alone, will surely come to reach and fulfill the Torah even if he had no exposure to it […]
Art as a means for awakening desire for truth
True art is based on faith in man’s intrinsic desire for truth, embedded deep in the person. His overt personality is not directed by this drive, nevertheless, this desire can be awakened, nurtured and brought to prominence. Art holds the possibility of awakening this buried desire for it can reach into the depths of […]
The Brushstroke: Bridge between Art and Word
Many of the abstract expressionists, and truly the neo-impressionists before them, particularly Van Gogh and Cezanne, and even earlier, (it seems the source of this change is in the impressionists) already broke away from a certain classical mode in painting that the brushstroke was secondary and subservient to the form being expressed. Previous to […]
Representational Art and the Soul
Pictorialzation in art-making: All art-making at it’s outset is ‘abstract’, that is: non-representational. For the beginning is always a point and then a line; and a point and a line have no reference outside of themselves. According to the quality and strength and sensitivity of the imagination of the artist, he almost immediately begins to […]
Understanding Abstract Art
Arises the question often: does one need to understand (that is, be learned in) “modern” or “abstract” art to be able to appreciate my pictures? I have contended that abstract art was intended to speak directly to the subconscious, and are proof of the “primacy” of visual experience and the power of its impact on […]
The Artist: Self and Others
It seems right to appreciate all the good [that] one can see in another artist’s work for there is some good in everyone, and [it is worthy] to go as far as one can to see another artist’s point of view and to submit oneself to their vision and understanding and expression. Nevertheless, the artist, […]