Category: Biblical Paintings

Biblical Paintings: Parshat Pinchas: Detail of artwork

Biblical Paintings

Why make Biblical paintings in a world where art is so rarely used to serve a religious or spiritual purpose? For me, the answer lies in the question itself. Namely, because of their rarity, the contribution that new and contemporary Biblical paintings can make is all the greater. My work is intended as part educational (to illustrate topics from the sacred texts), and part inspirational (engendering a connection with the underlying meaning of the Bible).

The Role of Colour

Colour is key in my Biblical artwok. I use a lot of bright colours but my mainstay is cerulean blue in various levels of saturation, often deepened with ultramarine. For me these blues symbolise the sky, the sea and the Eternal. It is the most spiritual colour, the most hopeful and the most joyous. Counterbalancing that, I often use orange and reddish hues. These symbolise the earth, the desert, Sinai itself, the place from where the Bible originates, given to Moses by G-d. They are colours of fire, of power, of authority, of the harsh realities of this earthly life, and are in stark contrast to the ethereal blues of the sea and the sky. Between the blues and the oranges, there I use, carefully, a wide range of colours. These can express many things and connect to many levels in the spiritual realms.

Further Reading on Colour

Many theoreticians and artists have written on the subject of colour. Of particular note are: Vassily Kandinsky, Margarethe Hauschka, and Rudolf Steiner. (Personally I do find them interesting, but it’s important not to take them too seriously!)

Parshat Toldot

The deceptive way in which Jacob receives his father’s blessing is rather unsettling. There is an interesting discussion of it by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks on his website, here.

A New Year! Parashat Bereishit – Genesis

My naive art, oil painting of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (complete with stripey lawn) appears as the first illustration of the Torah in the Child’s Bible published by Ariella Books.

Part 4 of The Children’s Bible

I’ve just finished the illustrations for Part 4 of the Bible for Children; Bamidbar (lit. In the Desert, or The Book of Numbers). It is published in German, by Ariella Books, under the title “Erzahl es Deinen Kindern,” (Relate it to your children), and the text is adapted by Bruno Landthaler and Hanna Liss. This […]

New Illustration

I recently finished the Priests’ Blessing illustration. Here’s a slice of the finished artwork:   Above: Detail from the crowd receiving the Priests’ blessing, in Parshat Naso. Acrylic on canvas, 40cm x 30cm.

Newest illustration…..

In progress: The Kohanim blessing the People (Parshat Naso). The finished artwork can be seen at this link: Naso