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November 14, 2003
Art depicts a love for creation
The intellectual and spiritual combine in current Zack Gallery
exhibit.
SIMA ELIZABETH SHEFRIN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH BULLETIN
Why do artists produce the work they do? There is an apocryphal
story about the famous sculptor Henry Moore. Apparently, his mother
would return from her daily work as a cleaner, so exhausted and
in pain, that his job was to massage her aching back. This of course
turned out to be a gift because his hands so thoroughly learned
the feel of the human back that he was able to create the many beautiful
abstracted torsos for which he is so well known.
This story came to my mind when I was talking to Mordechai Robert
Edel about his show, A Time for Blessings, at the Sidney and Gertrude
Zack Gallery, because the artist is so clear about the relationship
between his inner self and the work he creates. His works are strongly
based on Torah and kabbalah, with its intricate linguistic connections
and subtle meanings that create a merging of the intellectual and
the spiritual.
On one level, Edel is depicting stories from the Torah, images of
Jewish life. Each of these images contains coded messages based
on Jewish mysticism. And underlying it all is his desire to portray
the world in its most perfect state. "If you meditate on the
inside and if it is a true feeling, it can be transferred to canvas,"
Edel told the Bulletin.
"I would prefer to say these are not just my inner feelings,"
the artist added. "In truth, I would like to say this is my
desire for humanity. At the end of the day, it comes to the same
thing – the soul knows joy and happiness. It's a question of
opening those doors."
The show consists of 20 oil paintings and 19 giclée prints.
Giclée refers to a high-quality ink jet print with archival
ink, usually a reproduction of an earlier painting. The theme of
time re-emerges in one of these in the form of a matzah clock. Edel
produced these clocks in the 1980s, attaching quartz mechanisms
to varnished pieces of matzah. I enjoyed the contradiction between
the permanence of time and the crumbly nature of a piece of matzah.
The title piece in the show, "A Time for Blessings," portrays
a bearded scholar with his Hebrew text on his lap, consulting a
large watch. Although this piece was not intended as a self-portrait,
the subject does look a lot like the artist.
Some of the paintings depict underwater scenes.
"Everything came from water in the first place," said
Edel. In the piece "Above the Waters," if we look closely,
we see the seven-branched menorah constructed of seaweed.
Edel ascribes his early inspiration to his experiences as a child
in England, waiting for his mother in Andre Druker's café
and studio, La Bohème, where the walls were decorated with
prints of Monet and Renoir. In this exhibit, "Sukkah of Shalom"
is very reminiscent of Renoir's "Le Moulin de la Galette,"
except in this case the setting and figures depicted are Jewish.
"I like to think everything in the world is Jewish," said
Edel.
Pomegranates, Edel explained, are one of the seven holy species
of the land of Israel. Pomegranates have 613 seeds, representing
the 613 mitzvot, "the essence of which would bring us to perfect
harmony." In "Pomegranate Power," within the pomegranate
we see a man saying Kiddush and a woman blessing candles.
Much of Edel's work touches on the subject of marriage, which he
sees as the coming together of opposites, creating an act of perfect
harmony. Many of his pictures like "The Happy Chuppah"
and "The 18th Chuppah" portray the marriage ceremony.
Included in the exhibit is a sampling of the extensive collection
of ketubot he has created over the years.
The influence of music (Edel used to be the cantor at Har-El Synagogue)
is evident in all of Edel's work. One of his favorite themes is
displayed in the piece "Chassidic Blues," which depicts
a number of Chassidic men jamming together, dressed in dark blue,
instead of the traditional black. For Edel, music symbolizes joy,
but I found the blues an interesting choice of genre in this context.
It adds that sad/sweet quality that is so often found in a Jewish
world view.
Edel's work is full of his love for creation and for the Jewish
people. He sees our job as to "bring out beauty, and hope people
will recognize it."
A Time for Blessings can be seen at the Jewish Community Centre
of Greater Vancouver, 950 West 41st Ave., until Nov. 30. Gallery
hours are Monday to Thursday, 8:30 a.m.-9 p.m.; Friday, 8:30 a.m.-Shabbat
closing; Sunday, 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Call 604-257-5111 for more
information.
Sima Elizabeth Shefrin is a Vancouver writer, artist and
community arts co-ordinator.
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