Archive for the 'Interviews' Category
Roseanne Sullivan blogs at Catholic Pundit Wannabe, which she explains as follows: “This blog’s title is related to an essay I wrote at the peak of the scandals about priests betraying the trust of those who they were supposed to serve. Then as now, the press always sought out for interviews dissident Catholics who seemed to be using the scandal as an opportunity to promote their own agendas. In reaction, I made an immodest proposal: Since I am a well-informed believer who loves the Church’s teachings, wouldn’t it make more sense for the press to interview me instead of, say, Andrew Sullivan or Frank McCourt?”
MW: What, if anything, does the term “Catholic art” mean to you?
RS: A Catholic is a member of the Roman Catholic Church, which is the body of Christ.
United with Christ through the sacraments, the Catholic writer or artist of any kind creates art for the greater glory of God. Humility is a requirement. Excellence should be also. God deserves only the best.
Modern art is created for the purpose of epater les bourgeois, shock the petty middle class. I believe Catholic art should be done with love. According to St. Paul, love is not proud; it does not seek its own ends. It rejoices in the truth. As Christ taught us, love serves. Love lays down its life for the other, and it doesn’t puff itself up.
The opposite attitude of how to be an artist was taught when I studied art in the 1970s. The essential advice was to express one’s self. The unstated ideal was to shock, discomfort, or annoy. For one example, one of my art teachers had a show at the Minneapolis Museum of Art, where to enter the room where her work was displayed, you had to go through a little constructed entryway that had a low altar and a small, low window above the altar that let you get a preview glimpse into the room. She told the class with relish that by making the window low, she was forcing the gallery goers to bow before her altar. Her art consisted of hundreds of plaster statues of a rearing horse, all identical, about 14 inches high. She cast them out of a mold she had picked up somewhere. It cannot be denied that this artist’s intention was to manipulate and offend and to leave the viewer wondering what the point was. Another professor’s installation was a series of chairs hung on a wall in a stairwell at the student center.
The culmination for me occurred when a world famous artist spoke at the school, and he told the audience that he had to be on his guard to make sure the art he made was not beautiful. His art at the time consisted of concrete rectangles that he poured at gallery installations, which ruined the beautiful wood gallery floors. He exulted in the bewilderment of the gallery goers as they viewed his pieces. He told us he took special care to ensure that the concrete did not assume any of the attractive swirling patterns that might form if it was left to pour naturally. For him, beauty was not only not the point. Beauty was absolutely to be avoided.
I am in a sense recovering from those years. I didn’t accept the nonsense I was taught, but I was discouraged and paralyzed by it for a long time.
Of course, if an artist attempts to do “Catholic” art, the danger is that the artist can fall into the nether world of the maudlin, the insincere, and the clichéd. I think that art done by a Catholic is Catholic art, if it is true art, because true art tells the truth.
True art is true to the demands of the art being practiced. As Pope John Paul II wrote, an artist responds to the demands of art and faithfully accepts art’s specific dictates. He spoke with great appreciation about the creativity of the artist, whose creativity mirrors within human limits the creativity of God.
The Catholic artist should not do anything to draw the viewer or reader’s or hearer’s attention to the artist’s own cleverness. All of the artist’s work should be in the service of the thing being conveyed, whether it be the topic of the painting or the written story or the scripture, in the case of liturgical music. That’s why Gregorian chant fascinates me. The vast body of chants was written anonymously, for the glory of God.
Famous Catholic writer Flannery O’Connor wrote that a writer has to tell stories that are about life and character. Any artistic work fails when it is created to get a point across. Every story has to have a meaning, she wrote, but the meaning is perceived as part of the story not something extrinsic to it. The same is true for a painting or a music composition. The meaning must be intrinsic to the composition.
Art that is created to be in a Church and that is going to be viewed by people during the liturgy probably has to be more explicit in its meaning than art created for other venues. Art in the Church exists to draw the worshiper’s mind and heart to God.
MW: You have said that you are a “Catholic writer and artist.” To what extent does your Catholic identity inform your work?
RS: My Catholic identity makes me want to use my talents to show the truth and the beauty of God.
Continue reading ‘Interview: Roseanne Sullivan’
Brandon G. Withrow is a Ph.D. and adjunct professor at Winebrenner Theological Seminary where he teaches the history of Christianity. See his blog here.
MW: How much does current scholarship on Christianity address Christian art? How well are religion programs in this country covering religious art in general?
BW: Any discussion of Christianity and the arts would have to vary from field to field and department to department. Each religious studies department emphasizes a different model or methodology, and examining artistic expression in Christianity is often limited by that model or methodology.
In my experience teaching the history of Christianity, Christian art is often (though not always) a tool for understanding the various dimensions of religious life—cultural, institutional, political, and personal—rather than for art appreciation, per se.
I do believe, however, that the field of religious studies is giving a greater appreciation to the importance of religious art in general than has been done in previous years. By way of example, the American Academy of Religion has their Arts Series, offers awards in the arts, and sponsors trips to local exhibits. Last year they held a discussion on video art and showed several important films, including Water, which looks at Hindu widows and the practice of sati.
In the religious studies departments at Christian colleges and universities, where the study of Christianity is often driven by a commitment to its beliefs, Christian art may have an added dimension and be more personal. In the fields of history or theology, art might not only tell the students about religion in all its dimensions, it may also give the student a connection to his or her heritage. In evangelical colleges and universities, examining art, such as film, often comes with a discussion of its images of reconciliation or redemption or its usefulness for ministry.
Where I think art discussion is often lacking is in Christian seminaries, ironically. While I can’t say this is true for all seminaries, it seems to me that the greater emphasis is in biblical studies and theology. This is what they do well. This doesn’t mean that it doesn’t come out in some form—schools like Westminster Theological Seminary offer courses on “Christianity and the Arts” and promote jazz concerts—but on the classroom level, it is often an elective.
As I teach courses on the history of Christianity, I am trying to integrate visual art. For example, this summer I am teaching a course on Medieval and Reformation Spiritualities. While it is a history course, I have chosen a text that incorporates art depicting the diversity of Christian spirituality.
MW: Do you think there is any such thing as Christian art per se? Why or why not?
BW: In the more evangelical circles of my childhood, art was preachy. You could tell it was “Christian” because it had a cross and a weeping Jesus who called out “come to me.” It often looked like something you could find at a van convention, but with the added benefit of having a verse typed across it. Christian art, as great of a history as it has, has been given a bad name by the dominance of this kitsch. Is this Christian art? If by Christian is meant, art done in the name of Christianity, then yes, it is Christian. But this does not make it good art.
All good art is worth pursuing. And as all persons are created in the image of God, I believe good art, as it reflects something of the creator, can be done by any artist, with or without Christian commitments. By reflecting the creator, however, I don’t mean that it must look like it belongs in a chapel or a Christian bookstore. To paraphrase an article written by my wife on the role of grace in fiction, too often Christians treat art as something that needs to be redeemed, as if remarkable art done well does not justify its own existence. Christians do not need to put clothes on the nude.
The greatest difference between the Christian artist and all others is the audience. Christian art is doxological. It is a means for the Christian to glorify and enjoy God. This says nothing about its actual content. It may serve a liturgical purpose, which I admit is what I love about ancient Christian art. It may be serene, though it does not have to be. Or, it may tell us something about the darkness that exists in the world. But in the end, it must be doxological.
Continue reading ‘Interview: Brandon G. Withrow’
Rev. Ken Yamada is a minister at Berkeley Higashi Honganji Buddhist Temple in Berkeley, Calif. He began with the following caveat: “As a Buddhist minister, I’m not an expert on art, but I do have a personal interest in Buddhist art and I sometimes refer to art as a means to teach Buddhism, which is the whole point of ‘Buddhist art.’ So that is my humble perspective in trying to provide feedback to your questions.”
MW: To what extent, if at all, is creating art a religious experience in Buddhism, as opposed to simply an act of creating works that then take on religious significance?
RKY: Both approaches represent two sides of the same coin. Artists create work meant to take on religious meaning. And the creation of art is also meant to be a religious experience.
For example, an artist skilled in his craft, may carve a statute or paint a picture meant to depict a Buddha or a scene of a story in a sutra, which are then seen by others for their religious meaning.
For those people who see the art only in terms of a beautiful object (such as viewers at a museum), the artwork is not really “Buddhist” in my opinion.
The creation process ideally also is a religious experience. When a carver works on a statue, one form of practice is to perform a simple chant, such as “Nam Am Da Bu” while carving, over and over. This practice cultivates a calm, clear mind of appreciation. Consequently from this mind, a peaceful-looking Buddha emerges from the block of wood. The mind of the carver is just as important as skill in creating a statue of the Buddha.
MW: Is there a such thing as Buddhist art per se? If so, what does it entail? Are there any subjects that are off limits to Buddhist artists?
RKY: Traditionally, Buddhist art are representations of the symbols and images found in the sutras, which are the scriptures based on the historic Buddha’s sermons. For example, they will be different Buddhas, specific symbols such as lotus blossoms (which represents “wisdom”), or devil-like images (which represent anger and ignorance).
However, Buddhism is very liberal in the sense that anything can be a teaching (Dharma) to us. Therefore, nothing is really off limits in terms of what subject or image form the basis of the art, as long as it expresses Truth as taught by the Buddha, such as “interdependence” or “nirvana” or “impermanence,” etc. Sometimes these teachings are deeply buried in the symbolism expressed by the art, so artwork must be studied, analyzed and meditated upon before these truths are realized by the viewer. This process too, of using art to move a person to think about life in a deep and profound way, is another means by which art serves its religious purpose. Mandalas are an obvious example of this process, as they are meant to be stared at and reflected upon continuously.
Continue reading ‘Interview: Rev. Ken Yamada’
According to his biography on Earth Sanctuary, Chuck Pettis is a “visionary, designer, eco-artist, and author” and founder and owner of “Earth Sanctuary, a 72-acre nature reserve and meditation parkland on Whidbey Island, Washington.” He is a “dedicated practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism, he deeply believes in the value of meditation,” and is the author, most recently, of Secrets of Sacred Space: Discover and Create Places of Power. Pettis is also the president of the Seattle-based Sakya Monastery. The image is from his site.
MW: What is Sakya Monastery, and how is it different from other Buddhist monasteries?
CP: For people seeking spiritual and personal growth, Sakya Monastery provides access to the Buddha’s teachings and guidance in a community of practitioners. Sakya Monastery provides a place to learn from highly qualified and spiritual Tibetan Lamas in a beautiful traditional setting.
Sakya Monastery provides people the opportunity to learn and practice authentic and traditional Tibetan Buddhist teachings.
MW: When did you first get involved with the monastery?
CP: I became involved with Sakya Monastery in 1995.
MW: To what extent does Sakya promote the arts?
Sakya Monastery does not promote the arts. Artwork in the form of paintings, statues, calligraphy and other media are a fundamental part of Tibetan Buddhist spiritual practices.
MW: What is Earth Sanctuary?
CP: Earth Sanctuary combines exemplary ecology with art and spirit to create a sanctuary for birds and wildlife and a peaceful place for personal renewal and spiritual connection. Earth Sanctuary is open every day of the year, rain or shine, during daylight hours. $7/person fee.
MW: To what extent is your eco-art based on Buddhist principles?
CP: Earth Sanctuary’s eco-art is universal in nature, being based on universal symbols and archetypes. We do have a number of Buddhist-based artworks. For example, we have a number of Tibetan Buddhist prayer flags around the property and also two Tibet-Tech prayer wheels.
MW: More generally, to what extent, if at all, is creating art a religious experience in Buddhism, as opposed to simply an act of creating works that then take on religious significance?
CP: At Sakya Monastery, we just had a workshop to create over 1,000 Tsa Tsa’s. ‘Tsa Tsa’ is a Tibetan term used to describe Buddha statues and relief images that are made as part of a particular meditation practice. Making tsa tsas is a preliminary spiritual practice used to eliminate obstacles, purify negativities, and create positive energy (merit). The tsa tsas were made with clay, that are then dried, and painted. These tsa tsa’s will then be placed inside a stupa to be build at the Tara Meditation Center at Earth Sanctuary, as a Tibetan Buddhist sacred space.
Continue reading ‘Interview: Chuck Pettis, Founder, Earth Sanctuary’
According to the University of Arkansas Press’ site, “Hayan Charara was a visiting professor of poetry writing at the University of Texas at Austin in 2005. Before that he taught in New York City. He is the author of two collections of poetry, The Sadness of Others and The Alchemist’s Diary. Born in Detroit, Michigan, to immigrant parents, he currently lives in Texas. He is also a woodworker.” (Photo: Rawi)
MW: To what extent do you identify as an Arab American? How do you personally define the term? Is there a difference between an American Arab and an Arab American?
HC: “Arab American,” for me, is one of many identifications. I’m sure this is how many others see themselves — as Arab Americans, but also as Lebanese, or Palestinian, or men, women, husbands, wives, engineers, Detroiters, New Yorkers, Christians, Muslims, Jews, and so on.
As for the difference between “American Arab” and “Arab American,” I’m sure there is a distinction here that’s more than semantics, but I’m not aware of how others might be using them.
MW: In your introduction you first show some hesitation to define “Arab American” and to isolate a trend in the poets you gather in the anthology, but then you say that they all share an unapologetic identification with America. How do you reconcile these two points?
HC: My hesitation to define “Arab American” is a hesitation to give it a “once and for all” type of definition. This term means different things to different people. In my own family, we understood it differently. There are, among many of the poets in Inclined to Speak, an “unapologetically American” voices, which is to say that these poets are using an American vernacular, for instance, or are informed by American poetics (many of the poetic influences of the poets are American — not always, but often). These two things are compatible, too — that is a multi-faceted understanding of “Arab American” on the one hand, and the multi-faceted expressions of things American by the poets on the other.
MW: Are poets on the forefront of identity issues? Why or why not?
HC: It’s probably best to ask the poets themselves. I don’t know. Identity is certainly an issue dealt with, and one that readers and critics look to in poetry; but I can’t say for sure just how much of a priority is it for other poets.
Continue reading ‘Interview: Hayan Charara, “‘Arab American,’ for me, is one of many identifications.”’
Walter Michael Miller is editor and publisher of arttattler.com, which provides “Commentary and surveillance of more than 800 current and recent art exhibitions around the world, organized geographically with archives of exhibitions from the last year, including architecture and design.” See also the Art Tattler blog here. (The image of Miller is from arttattler.com.)
MW: When and why did you start Art Tattler?
WMM: I started Art Tattler in September 2006, after having left Review, a regional visual art magazine I founded in 1998 in Kansas City, Missouri. I designed, published, and edited it. The name for the first nine months was Pangaeology.
MW: Since its launch, what patterns, if any, have you seen in religious art?
WMM: That would be hard to say, since there are elements of the metaphysical in virtually all art. I’m sure there are artists who would describe themselves as religious, but it could be a majority who describe themselves as ethical humanists, and some who would describe themselves as good businesspersons. It has always been the religious — the metaphysical — that has been the magnet in artwork that has drawn me in — what might not be readily seen in the art.
MW: How frequently would you guess exhibits feature a religious component or content?
WMM: Exhibitions, by and large, do not contain religious components or content. Here we have to make a distinction between modern and contemporary art and historical art. Historical art tends to be rife with obvious religious references because it was created in a time where the church was not only the state, but it was a major collector of art.
MW: Have you found there to be any regional patterns to exhibits of religious art?
WMM: It depends on how overt the religious references are in the art. Even in modern and contemporary Latin American art it is not unusual to see a Sacred Heart or a Virgin of Guadalupe represented, although they have attained the status of vernacular representations.
MW: How often do questions of censorship arise in response to exhibits?
WMM: Censorship rears its ugly head seldom. I fear more the reality of unconscious self-censorship in a xenophobic society and culture.
My review of “A View From The Bridge” and “Death Of A salesman” at The Arthur Miller Festival at Arena Stage is in The Jewish Press.
Willy Loman (center), with his two sons Hap (left) and Biff (right) in “Death of a Salesman” at Arena Stage.
Here’s the full statement from Aaron Davidman, artistic director of Traveling Jewish Theatre in San Francisco:
Hi Menachem,
Our production brought out what we considered to be the inherent Jewish identity of the Loman family and of Bernard and Charlie. All the men wore kipot only in the epilogue at the funeral, and it was the only moment of visual Jewish identity. The feel of Willy’s Jewishness came out in his speech and vocal intonation, how he carried himself, the fact the we are a Jewish theatre and that Corey Fischer is so well known as a Jewish actor exploring Jewish material. all these elements made Willy clearly Jewish. similar for Linda. But it was subjective. Some audiences members said the play was SO Jewish it made the play make sense to them. Others didn’t get how it was supposed to be Jewish.
We saw the boys as completely assimilated.
As for Miller, I have no idea what he might think.
Hope this helps.
Best,
Aaron
And then in response to my follow-ups:
To my knowledge, ours was the first overtly Jewish production. Oskar Eustis told me he always thought it was Jewish play. Others did as well.
Yes, they all wore kippot, but only at the funeral, and Biff and Hap removed theirs before they began to speak that scene, so it was very brief, as if they had to wear them for the ritual. I also had a live cello on stage.
I think it’s a stretch to say that Bernard and Charley are “practicing Jews.” There is nothing in the text to support that.
We said that they were more connected to their Jewish identity. To the value of learning and school. To more traditionally Jewish values. That knowing who you are gives you a better chance at success in this world. While Willy didn’t know who he was and bought the promise of capitalism and it destroyed him, like it does so many Americans who trade in the riches of their ethnic identity and custom to chase the false promise of the American dream.
Mike Klumpp (see his very informative and gorgeous site here) is both an artist and a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary. He is an actor, comedian, director, poet, author, and martial artist. The photo is from his site.
MW: Did your studies at Dallas TS focus on religion and art? Does the school have much of a focus on that topic?
MK: Dallas TS was almost resistant to art when I was a student. However, they have changed their stance over the years. Now they are promoting a program which has a great deal of concentration on biblical expression through the arts.
MW: To what extent have you found people who study religion in academic or theological settings to be well versed in religious art?
MK: Unfortunately, people who study in these settings are generally poorly in tune with art as either a philosophical or spiritual expression. Most have little or no grasp of the history of art and
literature and how either have been part of religious expression in various cultures.
MW: Do you consider your acting, comedy, poetry, and writing to be religious art per se? What, if anything, are some of the religious themes that arise in your work?
MK: I do not believe in religious art or Christian art. I believe that it is impossible to separate an artist from their world view. Therefore, if an artist is a Christian, Christian themes will emerge within the genre.
There are those who desire to do “religious art” and set out to use a medium as a platform for promoting a point of view. This work is generally more applied arts than fine arts. Therefore, it tends to lack the great energy and impact of more universally profound work.
There are Christo-centric themes in my work which arise due to my immersion in biblical literature. And I have written as applied art for specific audiences including Christians. Much of my work centers on life and death and therefore reflects questions and comments relative to these concepts. ie - life after death, the reality of a Creator.
Continue reading ‘Michael Klumpp: “I personally think God is fine with art and artists.”’
My review of Howard Salmon’s illustrated prayer book is in The Jewish Press. Here’s the interview:
MW: What if anything do you think Orthodox folks can take away from your project?
HS: Well, the general structure of the Saturday morning service is the same, whether Orthodox or Reform (or any other variety of Judaism). When looking through the Artscroll catalog of books, there are many publications for children that utilize cartoons. The comic book siddur is my way of
sweetening the text with cartoons. If Matisyahu can reach out to Orthodox Jews with reggae music, then the Comic Book Siddur, hopefully, have a similar appeal to Jews, since both use the appeal of pop culture to introduce the torah to Jewish youth.
MW: How did you first conceive of the project? Do you actually use the Siddur at services? Why did you choose to do the Saturday morning prayers as opposed to others? (Are there other prayer books planned for later?)
HS: I never had a bar mitzvah as a child. Instead, at 44 years old, I had an “adult bar mitzvah” as part of a class at Temple Emanu-el in Tucson, Arizona. I was one of a class of seven. We divided our torah portion into seven pieces, and parceled out the various duties of the prayer service. As I was studying the prayers, I made myself a study guide in the form of a comic book. Basically, I drew superheroes in action poses in the margins of the prayers. I stapled it together as a chapbook, and showed it to the associate rabbi of Temple Emanu-el (Benjamin Sharff) who is actually a huge comic book fan. He loved it, and offered to write the intro and to edit it once I completed a serious copy. My fantasy for this book is for a kid to actually use this book in his bar mitzvah, but I realize that that is problematic. However, Rabbi Sharff has expressed concern about this (for obvious reasons), since since comics have not reached a level of holiness appropriate for the sanctuary. The best I can hope for now is that kids (or other interested people) can use the comic book siddur as a study aid.
Again, I chose the Saturday morning service because that was the service where I had my bar-mitzvah. I initially intended the book to me my own personal study aid, but then realized that there may be others out there who’d appreciate the work I’d created. To make a graphic novel version of the entire siddur is too huge a project for me. I just wanted to translate the material that I was studying for my bar mitzvah into comic book form; no more, no less.
As far as other prayer books goes, I’m not ready to consider that at the moment, but of course, it always remains a possibility!
MW: To what extent are you influenced by other Jewish comic book artists? Why do you think there have been so many?
HS: Other Jewish comic book artists have had a huge influence on me. I grew up wanting to draw comics for Marvel. As a kid, I studied the history of comics and realized that it’s largely a Jewish invention. Jack Kirby, Will Eisner, Harvey Kurtzman, and of course Art Spiegelman. Jerry Robinson (a longtime comic book artist/writer) wrote about the question of why there are so many Jews in comics, and his conclusion was that because there were a lot of Jews in New York, and those were the only art jobs that they could get, because comics didn’t have respect in the early days. They were view as trash, not as an art form. It took some visionaries, such as Will Eisner, William M. Gaines, and Stan Lee, (and so many more!) to change all of that.
Continue reading ‘“A Siddur With Word Balloons”’
Sarah Tricha blogs at Moroccan Design in “celebration of Moroccan culture and design.” She is a freelance web designer, and she is planning a book on “the origins and meanings of zillij.” Sarah spoke with Iconia about the Islamic components of Moroccan art.
MW: Let’s start with the question to what extent does Moroccan art overlap with Islamic art? Is much of it created by artists who see themselves as bound by Islamic law?
ST: First, Islam is central to all aspects of life in Morocco as well as Moroccan art and design. Traditional Moroccan art strictly follows Islamic guidelines that art should be non-representational. Some modern Moroccan artists have broken with that tradition, so know that what I write I am writing in reference to traditional Moroccan art/decor/ornamentation.
In generalizing about Moroccan artisans, I must specify that I am particularly speaking of pottery and tile artisans. There is a lot of folk wisdom and myth connected to producing pottery in Morocco. It is very much a part of their cultural and religious identity. This is elegantly highlighted in an interview with an artisan that was posted to YouTube, which you can watch on my website.
The traditional arts and crafts techniques and styles practiced in Morocco today are a result of Islam and the Islamic empire. The Arabs from Syria brought Islam to Morocco in the 7th century. Islam rapidly grew into a vast empire that united merchants from India and China all the way to Southern Spain. A lot of the worlds best artisanal practices, techniques, artists, and products made their way to Morocco through this vast network of merchants, pilgrims, nomads, and representatives of Islam.
Moroccan artisans in Fes, the cultural capital of Morocco, tightly guard the tradition of pottery making and only modify techniques when absolutely necessary. In the 1940s cooperatives were established to preserve the character and integrity of Moroccan crafts yet most potters continued to practice according to their own tradition.
Image: One of Sarah’s paintings, which you can see (and buy) on her site.
MW: What is zillij? What are some of the major institutions devoted to showing Moroccan art? Who are some of the folks writing on the topic?
ST: Zillij is one of the highest art forms in Morocco and it is a style that is uniquely practiced in Morocco. It involves cutting clay tiles into geometric pieces - each piece has a name - and assembling them into complex geometric patterns that have been learned through apprenticeships for centuries. The zillij mosaics have been of great interest to mathematicians because of their geometric complexity and artists, such as Matisse and Escher.
Zillij is used on floors, walls, and water fountains. It is generally applied to the interior of buildings such as mosques, formal living rooms, and other garden fountains. I wrote a bit about it at here. There is also an article about it here, which includes some interview with artisans. Zillij is meant to inspire meditative reflection on the perfection of God’s creation and the unity of all things. It is a highly valued art form, so even if the artists don’t make a lot of money on their craft, it is very expensive to do, they are respected in the community.
Moroccan art is very much tied to purpose. Zillij installations are part of larger structures that cannot be easily displayed in a museum. I don’t know of any major institution in the U.S. that is dedicated to showing Moroccan art. Moroccan design is covered in glossy picture books on interior design, but I don’t know of anyone who is writing about its underlying meaning. Keith Critchlow was a professor at the Royal College of Art and established the Visual Islamic and Traditional Arts (VITA) school in 1984. He wrote several books on Islamic patterns and the underlying geometry. His books included a lot of information on Moroccan patterns, but were not specifically about Morocco. I believe he is now retired.
Continue reading ‘Sarah Tricha: “In Islamic tradition, only God can create”’
A couple of weeks ago, I noticed an article in The Grand Rapids Press on wildlife painter Catherine McClung (see her website here), whose work is so realistic that some have accused her of passing photographs off as art. The article mentioned that McClung has created a “bird-themed ornament for the White House Christmas tree” and that she is a “woman of great faith who actively studies the Bible” and “struggles with success and compliments.” I posed a few questions to Catherine via email, and she was kind enough to reply.
MW: How, if at all, does you Bible study influence your work?
CM: I pray before I paint that His hand would be with mine.
MW: Have you created any religious works? Do you consider yourself a religious artist per se?
CM: I paint God’s beautiful creations. I have not illustrated any Biblical stories.
MW: What are some of the greatest rewards and challenges of being religious and an artist?
CM: Bible study and my faith has given me wisdom. Being able to use my God given talent is a joy. Painting is only part of what I do. Much time is spent running the business of being an artist. As you know it is a difficult way to make a living. Here the Golden Rule is important. I often see artists use hype to promote their work and it seems to work for them for awhile, but I have to avoid that. I like to encourage other artists along the way and not to see them as competitors. I earmark ten percent of all print editions for donations. Art and auctions have been a popular way for fund raising.
Continue reading ‘Catherine McClung: “I pray before I paint that His hand would be with mine”’
Leora Wenger is a Highland Park, NJ-based artist, who blogs at Here in HP. She designs, develops, and builds websites (sample here). Some of her paintings (including the self portrait below) can be seen here. Leora discusses religious symbolism in her work, which often reminds her of her mother, and some of the challenges of being a religious artist.
MW: Do you consider yourself a Jewish painter? Why or why not?
LW: Definitely. Being Jewish is part of me. Family is an important part of being Jewish. My subject matter often is my children, whom I watch grow and absorb the world around them. I am drawn into the natural world as well; my middle son’s bar-mitzvah parsha will be Breishit, Genesis, with all the wonders of creation. I garden and I paint and I photograph my garden. There’s a connection to my mother, z”l (may her memory be a blessing), in all this, as she painted and loved gardens. In the artwork upon which you chose to focus the Jewish subject matter may be more apparent. But I didn’t set out to do “Jewish” subject matter. They were exercises in learning some aspect of painting, and the Jewish subject matter arose subconsciously. As I work on the art, it becomes more conscious.
MW: You describe the Havdallah painting as “Rembrandtesque.” Is there something about Rembrandt’s style that is particularly useful for religious subjects?
LW: A tradition of visual arts in Jewish history is limited, unlike, say, poetry. You have mosaics from ancient synagogues, haggadahs with birds’ heads, but much was borrowed from the surrounding cultures. Rembrandt seems like a good style to emulate, as 1) he did many Biblical subjects, and some of his models were Jews of Holland; 2) the Dutch in general were the first to break away from the Church art and paint still lifes and home scenes, genre scenes; and 3) the lights and darks, chiaroscuro as it is called by artists, create an ambiance that can be quite powerful. In this particular painting, I was trying to break away from my usual colorful, impressionistic style. It’s good for an artist to choose purposely to break out of one’s style at times.
Continue reading ‘“The biggest restriction isn’t really from Judaism itself but from the Orthodox Jewish community.”’
Aisha La’Don Epps-Abdul Rahman currently resides with her husband and three children in Sacramento California. As a homeschooling mother of three, she dedicates her time to providing ongoing support and advice to women in order to assist them in living a purpose filled life. She is currently working on an online network for Muslim women, muminah.net, as well as writing a women’s Hadith handbook.
She enjoys reading, writing, graphic and web design, and of course spending time with her family and friends, and learning more and more each day.
I asked Aisha about the importance of art in her life, art and Islamic law, and how, if at all, art carries gender implications in Islam. Here are her replies. (Image: courtesy of Aisha La’Don, and see her article “The Role History & Religion Play in Art.”)
Bismillah Al Rahman Al Raheem
Assalamu Alaikum,
I don’t believe that there are any preferences when it comes to Islamic art, nor any expectations as far as who should do what art. Many women have taken the hobby of doing Henna as a hobby as well as professionally. Men do not take this art on more than likely due to the physical contact that is required, and at no time should a man or women touch unless they are married or family.
Women also used henna for beautification, and so it was heavily used by women, and occasionally by men in order to dye their hair.
I personally do Henna, and calligraphy. Textile may be a bit more physically demanding and so it is done more amongst men than women. But it depends on what type of textile. Clothes, rugs, etc. Calligraphy is done by both however; more by men, I think based on their ability to read Arabic.
I am an African American, but I know culturally many Arab women can neither read nor write Arabic. They can speak it and that is it. I was very surprised to learn this from several of my Jordanian friends.
When we are children we learn to speak simply by hearing and speaking with our family, but not until we are sent to school do we learn to read and then write. For some of my friends who moved to America at a young age or were born here, they learn Arabic because it is spoken in the home, but at school they are taught to read and write English, and sadly forget the importance of their own language. Continue reading ‘Interview: Aisha La’Don Epps-Abdul Rahman’
Here is my interview with David Keller, computer science professor at Utah Valley State College. This is all part of my RNS article on Mormon art. See also interviews with Scott Gordon and Greg Kearney.
I am another FAIR volunteer and I take full responsibility for the views (which are not necessarily that of FAIR or the LDS Church) expressed in this email.
The prime example that critics use to complain that the LDS Church’s art misrepresents historical facts are pictures that show Joseph Smith translating the Book of Mormon with the golden plates present, rather than placing his face in a hat to limit outside light from interfering with revelation received from a seer stone.
I suspect there are two main reasons for this. First, I do not think the artists were aware of the historical accounts that report the seer stone in a hat method, although those accounts have appeared in church publications. Second, the accounts show that the translation process did not always occur the same way. Joseph translated the Book of Mormon in two locations: first Harmony, PA and second Fayette, NY. Witnesses to the Fayette process all report the seer stone in the hat method, while most witnesses in Harmony report there being a curtain between Joseph Smith and his scribe, with the golden plates being present. One of Smith’s first scribes, Martin Harris, reported that Joseph switched processes, hence he would have likely done so before Oliver Cowdery took over as a scribe in Harmony. Since the translation pictures in church publications usually portray Joseph and Oliver together, they mix and match elements from different translation periods. Continue reading ‘Interview: David Keller, Utah Valley State College’
Here is my interview with Scott Gordon, president of the Foundation for Apologetic Information & Research (FAIR). The picture is from blacklds.org.
Greg Kearney sent you a good response already, but I wanted to make additional comments.
First of all, in looking at the blog I would consider it anti-Mormon. The artwork and blogs, are an attempt to attack Joseph Smith or to shock our sensibilities. We are familiar with the issues portrayed, and they are favorites that are brought up and highlighted by antagonists of the LDS church.
Art is, well, art. As art, it typically is there to represent ideas or evoke emotions.So just as the art on this blog is meant to evoke negative feelings, the art depicting some of Church history isn’t accurate. The Freiburg paintings, the Teichert paintings, and Greg Olsen’s paintings are probably the most popular from LDS artists, but Carl Bloch, the non-Mormon Danish artist, is probably still one of the most popular within the church.
There are no restrictions on art.
This is my interview with Greg Kearney, BFA design, 1980, Brigham Young University. I reached him through FAIR, but he spoke only for himself, not the organization. The image is from FAIR’s site.
MW: I am working on an article about the blog, Images of the Restoration, particularly its claim that art on Church-sponsored websites often misrepresent Church history. (E.g. the claim on IOTR that Joseph Smith never looked at the Golden Plates, but translated them sitting on stairs looking into his hat.) Can you comment on the blog and whether it represents serious criticism of Church art?
GK: I’ll comment on this blog but please understand that I speak only for myself and not for FAIR or the Church.
I have seen any number of critical sites about the church but this one is one of the more unique in its approach if not in it’s content. It uses the technique of having us look at 19th century people with 21st century eyes which make Joseph Smith and his contemporaries look strange to us.
Of course Smith and others believed in dowsing. Dowsing is still in wide practice today in New England. He likely believed in a whole host of folk beliefs of his day as did most people.
The image “Oliver Cowdery” which seems to be the best of the lot does not even give an accurate image of dowsing or water witching as it is sometime known. The stick shown is far to thick for that kind of work. But as I said these were common practices of the day and to some
extent still are. This is a kind of historical “got ya”.
Art, and religious art in particular, is not intended to be a historical record. Do we really believe that the holy family wore renaissance clothing or the the Star of Bethlehem appeared as a brilliant beacon in the night sky? Continue reading ‘Interview: Greg Kearney, BYU BFA in Design’
According to her bio on religionwriter.com, Andrea Useem is a writer, editor and web producer for many venues, including: the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, Knowledge@Wharton and Religion News Service. She is based in Reston, Va., and holds a Master’s of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School. She lived in Nairobi, Kenya, for 4 years, freelancing as for the Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle and Chronicle of Higher Education. Andrea replied to several questions via email, with the caveat that she is “completely flat-footed when it comes to art.”
MW: I see from your bio that you are interested in Quakerism. Have you had a chance to see Rowena Loverance’s new book “Christian Art” [which I covered here]? If so, what do you think about her focus on religious Quaker art?
AU: While spending three months in 1995 at Woodbrooke, the Quaker Study Center in Birmingham, England, I was extremely lucky to take an art course called Appleseed with Brenda Clifft Healy and Chris Cook. They used a Quaker spiritual approach, focusing on our individual experience of the divine—in Quakerism, of course, there is no priesthood, and each believer must experience God for themselves. With Chris and Brenda we responded to other art works — even a Shakespeare play at one point — through art. I remember one assignment of painting with our eyes closed. It was enormously fun. Woodbrooke has a fully stocked art room that’s open 24 hours a day, so I would sometimes run over there early in the morning to paint. I never had any talent at painting or drawing or creating art, so I abandoned it in favor of what I was good at (writing). But with Chris and Brenda, I discovered the obvious: that you don’t have to be good at something to enjoy it.
As to the book you mentioned, no I haven’t seen that. I should confess that, as a journalist, I rarely — okay, never — write about visual arts or other high art. The closest I come is reviewing books of fiction, and even that is a stretch for me. When I read poems I skim through for the main points. I think I’m like a lot of journalists in this way: I have, essentially, a non-fiction mind.
Once while I was traveling back and forth between the U.S. and East Africa, where I worked as a journalist for several years, I spent a few hours of my lay-over at the Tate Gallery in London and saw a painting by Alan Reynolds. On the placard beside it, art critic Robert Melville wrote that the painting captured the tension in human nature “between dread of confinement and fear of the void.” I think that one line almost completely defines our psychology as humans: that oscillation between safety and risk. It also says everything about me as an art-appreciator that I wrote down and remembered the quote, but don’t remember the painting.
MW: Do you think journalists are often closed to art and all things artsy? I know journalism is often based on the premise that stories should be made to fit into organized words with a lede and short, concise graphs, and art often resists that sort of form. Do you see that as a limitation of journalism that it might be ill-equipped for reporting on art? Do you think it would better serve artists to communicate in a better and less esoteric way?
AU: I can only speak for myself, but I do tend to view the world through a journalistic prism. I simply can’t imagine writing a news story about a piece of real art. That would be an art form in itself, one I’m not trained for. I think about James Agee’s description of a piece of music in Now Let Us Praise Famous Men — he was a journalist, and he managed to capture something essential about music performance using words. But of course in Famous Men he really pushed the envelope of journalistic style, further than most of us can go in the average article or posting.
Continue reading ‘Interview: Andrea Useem, religionwriter.com’
My interview with Rebecca Honig Friedman on evil aesthetics and Nazi art is posted on The Jewish Channel’s blog The Docent.
Several days ago, Kittredge Cherry, author of “ART THAT DARES: Gay Jesus, Woman Christ and More” (which I reviewed here), emailed me a tip about her blog post on the controversy of the “Leather Last Supper” poster (see below) at the Folsom Street Fair. In her post “Queering the Last Supper,” Cherry writes, “I certainly endorse freedom of speech and gay culture photographer Fred Alert’s right to make the Leather Last Supper. But the image raises questions that go far beyond whether it’s OK for Jesus to be gay.” She poses the important questions, “Is it good theology?” and “Is it good art?”
In a follow up post, “Leather Last Supper Debate Continues,” Cherry records some of the responses to the poster. I posed four questions to Cherry via email. The conversation is below. Please click on the link after the first answer to continue reading the entire interview.
MW: Some would say that public images should not offend people. This poster offends people with a traditional interpretation of the bible. Why does it belong in public?
KC: The Leather Last Supper belongs in public because we live in a society where everyone has a right to freedom of speech — even if others are offended. There are some legal limits to free speech, such as laws against “hate speech” that defames or incites violence, but this poster isn’t that inflammatory.
I agree with U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who defended the poster by saying, “I’m a big believer in the First Amendment. I do not believe Christianity has been harmed by the Folsom Street Fair.”
The Leather Last Supper benefits the public by providing a focus for discussion about art and religion. I have some reservations about the image, but I do like the way it shows how Jesus welcomes everyone, even those on the margins of society.
Continue reading ‘Interview: Kittredge Cherry on the Controversy Surrounding the “Leather Last Supper”’
Blogging Religiously posts on a “new organization of observant Jewish artists and entertainers called Atara [which] is holding a conference this weekend for women only.” The event (see schedule here), will be held on a Saturday night (after the Sabbath of course) at Yeshiva University’s school for women, Stern College in New York City. The New Jersey Jewish Standard has the story of the group’s creator, Miriam Leah Droz.
Droz told the Standard, “We think there’s a limitation on art, but art can’t function with limitations —that’s the whole point of art … Atara is a reconciliation of art and Torah.”
Leaving aside the obvious problem with sentences that refer to “the whole point of art,” I’m a bit skeptical about the group, so I asked Rebecca Honig Friedman of Jewess about the group. Here’s what she said.
MW: Would you pay $70 for it?
RHF: No, but I might if I was an artist looking for women’s-only opportunities and inspiration to keep on pursuing my dreams.
MW: Is it fair that no men are allowed?
RHF: Yes, as long as they’re being up front about it. But I do think they should make it clearer that their organization, not just the conference, is for women only. The name Atara implies the feminine, I suppose, but they don’t spell it out.
Continue reading ‘Orthodox, Jewish Women-Only Art Community’
My article Shabbat in The Age of Technology is in this week’s Forward on technology abstinence. It particularly attends to an assignment in Danna Walker’s “Understanding Mass Media” class at American University in Washington, D.C., which was featured in The Washington Post’s “The Longest Day.” It’s interesting to see how some people view religion and technology as adversaries, while others strive to find common ground.
Keep reading for the interviews. Continue reading ‘Shabbat in The Age of Technology @ the Forward’
My article on the controversy surrounding Frida Kahlo’s faith is in this week’s Jewish Press.
After the column was submitted, I receive the following email from Gaby Franger and Rainer Huhle, authors of “Frida’s Father: The Photographer Wilhelm Kahlo” (Schirmer, 2005), cited in the piece:
Dear Mr. Wecker,
please allow me to contest you the mail you sent to Gaby Franger. We understand very well that you are surprised that the legend of Frida/Guillermo Kahlos Jewish descent is so persistent, because so are we.
Let me first answer your question for the facts and then try an explanation.
There can be absolutely no doubt that the Kahlo family - paternal and maternal sides - were of German origin and members of the Lutheran Church. We found the respective baptism and other documents that leave no room for doubts. Its all documented, even in facsimile, in our book. We also write in our book that so far there is no serious source to prove that Frida Kaho herself ever affirmed she was Jewish. It’s all hearsay and copying from one spurious source to another.
Continue reading ‘The Un-chosen Artist, Frida Kahlo, @ the Jewish Press’
My review of Joel Cohen’s new book David & Bathsheba: Through Nathan’s Eyes is in this week’s Jewish Press.
Here is the whole interview:
MW: Why did you chose this story in particular?
JC: My father’s name was Nathan — he too was a very disciplined man willing to “speak truth to power.” On the morning of the unveiling of his grave site, I looked for the hallmark of the prophet Nathan’s life to find something to say about my father in the context of his namesake. And there it was — precisely how my father would go about getting someone to admit his wrongdoing.
MW: Does it bother you that this story is taught in a certain way in Jewish schools–downplaying the sin?
JC: I believe that the sages recognized that youngsters would have trouble dealing “gods with clay feet,” which led them to construct defenses, sometimes I believe disingenuous, for the great heroes of the bible. The problem is when we grow up, we’re still making excuses for the inexcusable in those heroes and therefore in our own conduct. Wouldn’t it be better to simply say that David sinned horribly, but that the beauty of the story is that David repented without seeking to self-justify, and so God forgave him and from his bloodline the Messiah will be born one day?
I interviewed Max Emadi (see his site here) about his work, primarily his Islamic Erotica series, for my recent pieces on contemporary Islamic art. Here’s one selection from his biography, “After becoming secure in his career as a psychotherapist and beginning his current job for the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, as well as joining the adjunct faculty at Mount San Antonio College, he decided to revisit the artistic interests of his teens.” He spoke about atheism, President Bush as the emperor with no clothes, and responses to his work.
MW: In a statement on “Islamic Erotica” on your site, you write that nudes are taboo in the Islamic tradition. In your view, to what extent have Muslim artists historically respected Islamic laws? To what extent does Islamic law also forbid figurative art?
ME: I don’t by any means consider myself an authority on Islamic art. I think that artists from Islamic countries have challenge tradition historically like most artist. Persian miniature is a wonderful example. In many ways I think challenging/exposing social norms is an artists natural tendency.
I come from Iran which is basically a Theocracy. I don’t support Theocracies. They enforce their interpretation of Islamic law as strictly as they can although most of the population lives more liberally in secret. My Islamic Erotica series is a partial reaction to this fundamentalism. But it also is a comment on western sexism as well by referencing the tradition of “pinup” art.
Continue reading ‘Interview: Max Emadi’
David Kaufmann is associate professor of English at George Mason University in Va. See his website here. Kaufman discussed Jewish literature and how postmodern Jewish art might look.
MW: What, if anything, does the term Jewish art mean to you? Do you think there is a such thing as Jewish art above and beyond art made by a Jew or with Jewish content?
DK: This of course is a difficult one because it leads back to the struggle over the definition of Jew and, to a lesser extent, Judaism. I do not know how to limit my view of Jewish art, beyond thinking that it is art made by Jews. But within that, I have chosen—as if I had a choice—to cast as wide a net as possible. I am particularly interested in the various ways that Yiddishkeyt gets worked out and expressed. These ways are often subterranean, secular and to some extent physical—a gesture, a cadence, a turn of affect. Sometimes they are overt.
When readers of the FORWARD write me to berate me that I am too expansive and have diluted the very nature of Judaism, I console myself by remembering that Scholem had an equally expansive view and was of course fascinated—even delighted—by the sheer energy of heresy.
Continue reading ‘Interview: David Kaufmann’
Juan E. Campo, is associate professor in the religious studies department at UC Santa Barbara. His areas of academic interest include: Islam and culture, comparative study of religions, religion and the culinary cultures of the Middle East, modern pilgrimages (Islamic, Hindu, and Christian), discourses on death and the afterlife and modern Islamic movements. Here is my interview with Campo for my article.
MW: Most American think that it is forbidden to create figurative art under Islamic law. Is that true? To what extend have Muslim artists followed laws with aniconistic positions?
JEC: I do not follow the work of Muslim American artists closely. However there are a number who work in the area of calligraphic art, with modernist aspects.
Figural art is banned particularly in relation to religious contexts (mosques especially) by Sunni legal schools. The Shi’a tend to be much more relaxed about this ban, however, as evidenced by the use of figural representations of Muhammad’s family, the Imams and their companions in Husayniyyas in homes, businesses, and various places of worship. Some Shi’a even wear medallions with images of Ali on them.
Continue reading ‘Interview: Juan E. Campo’
Here is the complete interview with Rebecca M. Brown, from the department of politics and international relations at University of Wales, Swansea, on Islamic art. See her bio here.
MW: I am currently working on a story about Muslim American artists who juxtapose traditional Islamic motifs with American iconography (like iPods and superheroes and NYC metro cards). Is this a developing trend of Muslim American artists mixing symbols of Islam and America, or is it just a few isolated examples?
RB: I don’t think this is anything new, and it’s not limited to Muslim American artists, a term which as you know is problematic for many of the artists themselves.
My area is South Asia, and in that context the symbolic use of US or more broadly Euro-American symbolism in conjunction with South Asian symbolism (connected both with Islam and with other religious traditions) is widespread. The Singh Twins, for example, have for many years employed iconographies of ‘the West’ into their works (including Barbies, Coca-Cola, etc.) painted in styles that rely on Mughal court painting techniques and incorporate Mughal iconographies. As Sikhs (and Britons), this perhaps puts them outside of your question, but I think that most artists of South Asian descent in the diaspora look to a wide range of traditions, not just the religion they are born into. The source for a lot of the mixing of symbolism in South Asia stems from the art school in Lahore, a school founded during the colonial period that has produced several generations of painters trained in the style of the Mughal court (often called miniature, but this is a misnomer). Artists such as Shahzia Sikander were trained there; she has incorporated a wide range of symbols derived from both Islamic and Hindu South Asian
traditions and combined them with her own personal iconographies.
Both of these examples have been working with varying symbologies for years–decades–and so this isn’t really a new trend, at least in terms of the South Asian diaspora.
Continue reading ‘Interview: Rebecca M. Brown’
Here is my interview with Ori Soltes for my piece on Islamic art.
MW: I am working on an article on Muslim American artists using American iconography (iPods, superheroes, NYC subway maps, etc.) in their works. Do you have any insight into whether this is a new trend or whether it is something that has been going on for a long time in Islamic art (borrowing from other cultures)? To what extent have Muslim artists obeyed laws prohibiting figurative painting?
OS: In reverse order: the prohibition against figurative art is overstated, as it is in the discussion of Jewish art. There have been a zillion figurative images on pottery, carpets and most particularly, illuminated manuscripts–even of Muhammad, and even some where his face is seen (his face is more typically covered by a veil), just not in and around mosques and less common the closer you get, geographically, to Makka and Madina. So, as with Jewish art, it has depended on when and where and therefore on how and by whom the interpretation of proscription and prescription is being made.
Continue reading ‘Interview: Ori Soltes on Islamic Art’
I interviewed Mustafa Abu Sway, professor of philosophy and Islamic studies and Al-Quds University in Jerusalem for my recent Arab American News piece. He replied to my interview request with the following:
Dear Menachem,
The only clear element in your enquiry is the question of depicting nudity in artistic form; it is prohibited! You need to be more specific in your questions! Do you talk about human representation (one can detect tolerance if it is educational!) Also, if the human artistic form is incomplete, then some people tolerate it! Divine? (absolutely prohibited since nothing is like unto Him) What sacred and what secular? (There is a new artistic trend that combines Arabic/and abstract forms and or National secular symbols such as the Palestinian flag or the map of historical Palestine)
Sincerely, Mustafa Abu Sway
I had already submitted the piece when Abu Sway got back to me with the comments below.
MW: You say depicting nudity is prohibited. Does the gender of the nude figure matter?
MAS: The gender of the nude is irrelevant. While the whole body of the female should be covered, the male should cover between the navel and the knee. Even when the body is covered, the notion of modesty applies. If the clothing reveals the contours of the body then it is prohibited! Some Muslim women do cover their bodies, but when you see them, the word modesty is not the first one that comes to mind.
MW: Does it matter if the figure is abstracted (Cubist, etc.)? What if it is a cartoon?
MAS: How abstract is abstract? I find Picasso’s Guernica, for example, a powerful work of art. And it strikes me every time I look at it. I can almost hear the people screaming! Nudity is not the issue in the actual time and space. Does the representation of the horror of the moment have to have nudity, in any form? I am inclined to say no!
Continue reading ‘Interview: Mustafa Abu Sway’
My review of Motti Lerner’s play “Pangs of the Messiah” at Theater J appears in this week’s Jewish Press, titled “Forcing The Messiah Any Day That He Might Come.”
From left to right: Joel Ruben Ganz (Benny), John Johnston (Avner), Michael Tolaydo (Shmuel). Courtesy of Theater J.
Here’s the entire interview:
MW: You ended the Murder of Isaac with a violent death, and you did the same in Pangs of the Messiah. Is that something you do often–lead up to such a dramatic conclusion? Is it fair to say both plays are pessimistic?
ML: I think that a dramatic conlusion is necessary in any play. In both The Murder of Isaac and Pangs of the Messiah the issues at stake are matters of life and death and the internal actions of the characters are so total that there’s almost no other conclusion. But I don’t think the plays are pessimistic. Writing a tragic end is very optimistic - the tragic end paradoxically strengthen the spectator and encourages him to choose life.
MW: The set design has the Hebrew biblical verses of God promising Israel to Abraham on the floor. The characters literally trample God’s promise throughout the play. Is that intentional?
ML: It is a wonderful choice by the designer who probably read what Shmuel says at the end: Only the salvation of the Land of Israel exists in the world? Only the purification of the Temple Mount? There are people who have to live in this country…
Continue reading ‘Motti Lerner’s Pangs of the Messiah at Theater J’
