By Robert E. Sutton
Jews have always expressed themselves in a rich array of art forms that reflect the vernacular culture of the time and place in which they live. While passage in the Torah (Ex. 15:2) decrees that beautiful implements be made to adorn the Torah, another decree prohibits the making of any image or likeness of man or beast. It is presumed that this prohibition refers to objects made for use in worship—but it undoubtedly also restricted the development of visual arts among the Jews.
Yet, the Biblical Bezalel–whose name literally means, “in the shadow or protection of G-d”— was the Jewish artisan appointed specifically by G-d to build the Tabernacle. So if one defines Jewish art as the works of Jewish artists, one of the earliest works of Jewish art was ordained by G-d’s command to Bezalel regarding the construction of the Tabernacle.
Most scholars agree that this commandment did (and does) not prohibit painting or sculpture except for purposes of idolatry. The magnificent frescoes of the Dura-Europos Synagogue in Syria (3rd century C.E.) depict biblical scenes; the famous mosaic in the Beth Alpha Synagogue in the Jezreel Valley (6th century C.E.) represents the sacrifice of Isaac and the hand of God reaching down from heaven; mazalots (the Zodiac signs) adorned the walls of Eastern European synagogues. Many illuminated Haggadot, such as the famous examples from Amsterdam and Prague, depict human beings in period dress, as well as animals and birds.
During the 18th Century, Jewish painters emerged in several European countries. Itinerant German-Jewish craftsmen made seals and engravings, and then graduated to other conventional artistic media. English-Jewish silversmiths came to the fine arts along the same route. It is believed that the secularization of European art allowed for Jewish participation. Assimilated Jewish families desired portraits in their homes such as their Christian neighbors had; thus, Jewish artists served both Jewish and non-Jewish patrons. By the beginning of the 19th century, Europe and Russia were beginning to take serious notice of Jewish artists and their talents. Here are but a few of those 19th and early 20th Century Jewish artists.
TOP: Maurycy Gottlieb (1856-1879) Jews Praying in the Synagogue on the Day of Atonement (1878)
The Artist: A student of Jan Matejko, Poland’s most celebrated nineteenth-century painter, Maurycy Gottlieb aspired to be both a Polish and a Jewish artist. His many works on Jewish themes include portraits of Jewish notables, as well as depictions of Shylock and Jessica from Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice.
The Achievement: Located in the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Jews Praying in the Synagogue on the Day of Atonement (1878) is the artist’s most famous work. A portrayal of Eastern European Jewish spiritual life, the painting includes an image of the artist himself, looking out from the painting and situated amid fellow residents of his hometown, Drohobych.
