Tosafot at Ein Harod
Tosafot: Women Drawing the Talmud at the Mishkan Le’Omanut in Ein Harod, Israel showcases the cutting edge work of two women artists significantly contributing to the lively and disparate Jewish cultural scene we are fortunate to inhabit.
Faces: Indian Jewish Narratives of Siona Benjamin
Jacob Elijah, 2012-2013, photo-collages with gouache and acrylic paint on paper, 35" x 35" by Siona Benjamin, courtesy Flomenhaft Gallery
Siona Benjamin has mounted a remarkable exploration into the complex and multilayered identity of Indian Jews, simultaneously tracking the…
Silverstein’s Heroes
“Every philosophy resolves itself into autobiography in the end” - Friedrich Nietzsche
Jo-El/Jore-El, 2013, acrylic on canvas, 48” x 60” by Joel Silverstein, courtesy the artist
Exactly how is an aspect of Jewish identity expressed in the mid-20th century phenomena of comic book Superheros? Aside…
Biblical Space: Recent Works by John Bradford
John Bradford is back with a dozen masterful paintings that deliver a powerful reassessment of Biblical narratives, served up in a revolutionary new painterly format. Last seen in these pages in November 2010, Bradford’s new work, Biblical Space at…
Unconditional Love: Cairo Ark Door and Falk's Paintings
Unconditional love is a concept that sets the bar of human conduct and forgiveness at a dizzying height, challenging the very fabric of human credulity. The same stress exists when applied in a religious context, fueling extreme…
Hyman Bloom's Studio
Hyman Bloom: Paintings and Drawings (1940–2005), currently at White Box (the cutting edge international art space on Broome Street), is a rare opportunity to observe the creative process of one of the most important practitioners of 20th century Jewish Art in America. …
Contemporary Book Art and Hebrew Texts
The “book” is a mighty big place these days and the current exhibition at MOBIA, As Subject and Object: Contemporary Book Artists Explore Sacred Hebrew Texts is no exception. Highly mobile eBooks compete with online publications and traditionally bound…
Old and New: Mark Podwal’s Textiles for the Altneuschul in Prague
Mark Podwal is a busy, busy man. When I wrote that in these pages in September, 2010 it is now clear I didn’t know the half of it… witness his current exhibition at Yeshiva…
Podwal’s Books
Mark Podwal is a busy, busy man. He has spent the last 38 years making every conceivable kind of art: innumerable paintings, 28 illustrated books written by him and the likes of Elie Wiesel, Harold Bloom and Francine Prose, children’s books, Haggadot, ceramics…
Lilith by Siona Benjamin
Siona Benjamin’s exhibition Finding Home: The Art of Siona Benjamin is simply beautiful. Set in the spacious lobby gallery of the JCC Manhattan, it allows for a peaceful (when the kids, nannies and crowds subside) contemplation of this complex artist’s meditations on…
Siona Benjamin’s Megillas Esther
There is nothing funny about Siona Benjamin’s Megillas Esther (2010). Unlike some contemporary illuminated megillas that emphasize the absurd and outlandish nature of the corrupt Persian court and the buffoonish character of the king, Benjamin takes the Book of Esther quite…
Arthur Szyk (1947) Jacob Steinhardt (1957) David Wander (2011)
The megillahs beg to be illustrated. Each is associated with a notable holiday and each presents an idiosyncratic view of Jewish history and experience. Those that are not overtly narrative cry out to be narrated while…