Art has always been a part of Jewish life. Despite the admonition against graven images, Jews have used art and craft to create ritual objects and beautify their surroundings. This book by a rabbi who is also an art historian and curator of the Jewish Historical Museum in Amsterdam presents fifty prominent Jewish artists from the past two centuries. The entries are chronological, beginning with Moritz Daniel Oppenheim, a nineteenth-century German Jewish painter. Each entry has a timeline at the top of the page, so that readers will be able to place the artist in the context of history. A brief biography, information about his/her work, and several color reproductions provide an overview of the artist. There is also a reference work cited for further information. A general timeline of Jewish history appears at the end of the book. Other artists covered include Marc Chagall, Ossip Zadkine, Louise Nevelson, Michal Naaman, and Sigalit Landau, representing a wide variety of media and style. This is a useful resource for those beginning to learn about Jewish art and artists.
Visual Arts
50 Jewish Artists You Should Know
- Review
By
– March 1, 2012
Barbara M. Bibel is a librarian at the Oakland Public Library in Oakland, CA; and at Congregation Netivot Shalom, Berkeley, CA.
Discussion Questions
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