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Jan. 18, 2013
Her own unique style
Victoria artist’s new exhibit is biblical in focus.
OLGA LIVSHIN
The title of Judith Fischer’s solo show at the Sidney and Gertrude Zack Gallery, Your People are My People, comes from the Book of Ruth. The story influenced two of the show’s main paintings, and several other paintings in the exhibit are also based on biblical texts.
“Art inspired by the Bible is neglected now,” said Fischer in an interview with the Jewish Independent. “It’s sad. The Bible was the main inspiration for the painters of past centuries, but, in the 20th century, it became almost a taboo, a ‘no-no’ thing. Not many artists touch the biblical themes now, but some contemporary Jewish artists do. The biblical stories contain the most profound truths of Jewish condition. They reflect the core of human emotions. Even atheists paint the Bible, because those stories talk to us.”
Before Fischer’s artistic interest in the Bible, her main creative focus was on the totem poles of the West Coast. Living in Victoria, she was surrounded by the amazing wealth of untamed scenery and the mysticism of Native art. She was driven to create her own, intrinsically Jewish, totem paintings.
Her switch from totems to the Bible was not as surprising a move as it might seem. Both sources examine the origins of who we are, and both belief systems attract seekers and dreamers.
“I’m a seeker,” Fischer said. “My Jewish roots are in my psyche. They drive me to find knowledge. For that, I studied mythology of many nations and religions, not only the Bible.”
Her discovery of the Bible resulted from her latest spiritual journey. Immersed in the harmony and philosophy of the biblical tales, she explored the people’s emotional response to hardship. Unfortunately, she is not a novice to hardship herself.
Fischer grew up in Hungary in a family of art lovers. From a young age, art beckoned to her, and she studied art in her native Budapest. However, in her early twenties, she and her husband fled Hungary illegally, escaping the suffocating pressure of communism but leaving their families behind. In 1968, they settled in Canada. “We wanted to live in a peaceful country,” she explained of their choice.
“It was a challenge, being an immigrant and a professional artist,” she recalled. “Fortunately, my husband was an engineer.” Fischer herself graduated from the Alberta College of Art in 1979.
After her eldest daughter died of leukemia at only 20 years old, Fischer couldn’t paint for two years, but she eventually regained her artistic footing.
“Sadness gives us a better impulse to paint,” she said. “[The] human soul requires suffering to grow. We learn from our pain. It makes us human. Of course, it’s better if it’s not too much pain, just a little.” She smiled, expressing both the sadness of her losses and the pleasure of her art. “I love my paintings. They are my children. I gave life to them,” she said.
Seven years ago, as part of her spiritual search, Fischer joined a group of artists, poets and musicians who studied the Bible under the guidance of Rabbi Harry Brechner of Congregation Emanu-El in Victoria. Some of Fischer’s paintings that were inspired by the group’s meetings are on display in the Your People are My People exhibit, including “Ruth and Naomi.”
“The Book of Ruth is my favorite,” Fischer said about the painting. “Many other Bible stories are about terrible things: wars, blood, death. This one is different. It’s about the most beautiful human emotions: love, happiness, loyalty, beauty.” The painting reflects the abiding connection between the two women, it breathes serenity, depicting the closeness of female spirits in the face of adversity.
Although Fischer applies her vision to several biblical stories, she doesn’t interpret the texts in the traditional sense. Through radiant light, complex shapes and intrepid lines, she leads viewers into her awe-inspiring version of creation or her concept of reincarnation.
“I’m drawn to the idea of rebirth,” she said. Her vision of “Destiny” is a multi-layered arrangement of interconnected loops of fate. Their geometry implies both chaos and order, while they encompass the tragic face of a dying man and the shining new soul, emerging like a phoenix from his suffering. Anxiety and uncertainty, together with hope, shimmer in the painting, reminiscent of the Holocaust but without overt symbolism.
The opposite end of the emotional spectrum is represented by a painting that stands out in the exhibition. “Daydreaming” is not about the Bible or suffering. Its blue-green luminescence conveys tranquility and quiet joy. The girl in the painting looks straight at the viewer. Her smiling reverie is dreamy, full of optimism. “She is delightful,” said Fischer. “She is my soul.”
It’s not easy to classify Fischer’s work. Echoes of many styles and centuries reverberate in her paintings. Rafael and Picasso, Chagall and Modigliani, and many others influenced her creative choices of themes and colors, but her unusual interweaving of religious symbolism and cubism, emotional depth and bold imagery are uniquely her own.
Your People are My People runs until Feb 3. To learn more, visit judithfischer.com.
Olga Livshin is a Vancouver freelance writer. She can be reached at [email protected].
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