by israelirealities » Wed Nov 23, 2005 9:17 am
Since American art is calling the shots, the influence of any "tampering" with art would be worldwide. <br><br>Jewish visual art is a fairly new phenomenon, due to secularization of Jews about 150 years ago till now. Under Jewish religion painting and sculpting (sp?) is forbidden and considered "idolatry" (namely, the craft of making idols and little voodoo dolls). As a result photography entered the prohibition under strict orthodox laws which is why one can still see orthodox Jews running away from cameras. <br>Musical performing was a traditionally male privilege, as under Jewish law a woman's singing voice is tantamount to fornication/adultary. Art did happen, but only in ritual context, namely, there were artists engaged in designing ritual artifacts (ie wine cups, bowls for special dinners, closets, etc., certainly<!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong> not images</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> of people from the bible, or any abstraction of God or beliefs, this is prohibitted) and houses of worship and prayer. Art, as a "in and of itself" pursuit is alien to judaic traditional culture and stil bears some "guilt" (sense of sinning) by those who practice it who DO want to maintain a Jewish tradition. <br>---------<br>I think, without substantiation though, that "recruited" art is therefore not alien to the culture, and in ZIonist secular Israel, it may have taken the form of "national art", mainly in literature, where novelists became apologists and inculcators of "state ideologies". Similar as in SOviet art, which now I find amusing, like watching those huge statutes of Lennin and the other guys, it is actually a "comment" on art, which becomes art, in the sense of one being able to almost witness the attempts of the commissioned artist to make a subversrive, individual mark without his or her "masters" seeing it. This is also art, sometimes good art.<br>I don't know if this line of inquiry is relevant at all, but perhaps one can also examine the Christian roots of art as control and how artists survived under the Church's eyes. In modern states, perhaps the nationalism and CIA's of sorts, usurped that role of the spiritual control through art, instead of through belief and dogma. There is a whole branch of investigation into the history of Icons, in Russian Orthodox church. I know someone who did such a research in NY. <br>Did the CHurch create "stars" to promote certain "images" that tightened its control ? don't know. I am not Christian so the whole idea of religious art (like the statutes and paintings of Jesus, the cross, and all the visual part of Christianity is not withint my frame of reference as a natural knowledge). <br>I am quite sure though, that being a Judeo Christian culture as we have it now (Western European), that very same tension between visuals and prohibition on visual artifacts in ritual and worship, is still there, only it has other names and concepts now.<br>I think that for those who are not JEwish here, it would be hard to imagine a Jewish tradition of NOT ALLOWING any illustration, statute, picture, symbols of the major religious scenes or people. There are modern ornaments, but they are not part of worship, one is not allowed to make visual or symbolic artifacts to serve in the worship (like the cross, Jesus on the cross, MAria and the baby etc.) The only kissing and bowing allowed, a bit is to scrolls (written texts) as honor. but not even to the Bible as an item. I am not sure I am explaining myself, but I think this is worth inquiry or elaboration by someone with better ENglish than mine.<br>Art "per se" i think is a (pagan and later intellectual, ROman and Greek tradition, and therefore presumably the Church had always been ambivalent about it. <br> <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p216.ezboard.com/brigorousintuition.showUserPublicProfile?gid=israelirealities@rigorousintuition>israelirealities</A> at: 11/23/05 6:32 am<br></i>