HISTORY, DEVELOPMENT AND STYLES OF JEWISH ART FROM ITS DAWN TO PRESENT
By Maximillien de Lafayette
HOW
TO DEFINE JEWISH ART? WHO IS AND WHO IS NOT A JEWISH ARTIST?
Photo: Moses with the Law, by
Moritz Oppenheim, 1818. S. Wiener Family, London.
Defining what Jewish art is and who is a Jewish artist is more problematic and subjective than defining art itself. Jewish artists from all eras and various nations contributed ad infinitum to various and multiple schools, styles, genres and aspects of classical, abstract and modern art. In many instances, no Judaic or Hebraic artistic creativity was ever associated with the nature, the theme and message of their work. Add to the fact that, many non Jewish artists from all centuries mirrored and depicted memorable events from the history of Israel, the Bible and modern Jewish conflicts around the globe. For instance, the famous “Jewish Polish Village Series” which depicted destroyed wooden synagogues in Eastern Europe was done by a non-Jewish artist Frank Stella, who paid respect and homage to a bygone Jewish world. Thus, the enigmatic questions arise: Does the theme of a painting reflect the religious identity of an artist? Does the Jewish birth of an artist, ipso facto defines the Jewishness of his or her art?” And, how do we define the artwork of Palestinian artists, Muslims and Arab Christian artists who explored Jewish and biblical themes ? Is it the subject, the theme, the message of a painting which adheres, confers and determines the Jewish ethnicity, or simply, the birth certificate of an artist? Hard to tell!
THE MESSAGE IS THE KEY
Moritz Oppenheim has been considered as the first Jewish pioneer-painter. Unquestionably, his artwork has been described as the direct expression of Jewish culture, traditions, faith and socio-political struggles. As a fervent Jew, Oppenheim in his paintings, echoed, preserved and “loudly” reflected the Jewish collective identity, struggles and horrifying anti-Semite experiences German Jews encountered in Germany and Eastern Europe. The Jewish art identity was revealed in the message, the artist conveyed on linens. The message was the key. When Moritz Oppenheim portrayed the illustrious 18th century Jewish philosopher, Moses Mendelssohn with a zealous Swiss Lutheran clergyman, Johann Caspar Lavater, Oppenheim was intentionally conveying the message of and explaining the implications of an experience that illustrated a primordial juncture in Mendelssohn's quest for a Judaic philosophical and an intellectual path. Mendelssohn realized and understood that Lavater's renunciation of his Judaism was another illustrative example of polemics against Jews. Unfortunately, the pioneering Jewish spirit of Oppenheim and his struggles to preserve the Jewish identity through art are rarely mentioned in the history books. Per contra, if we look at a contemporary painting done by a Palestinian artist from Israel or Palestine, we categorically and almost unquestionably sense, feel, observe and realize that this very painting is Arab-Palestinian production, because of its propaganda nature.
Continues on the next page.