Sharir’S PSALMS Pucker Gallery BO STON 22 PSALM 48 VERSES 2-4, 13, 14 • • • The Lord is great and much acclaimed in the city of our God. His holy mountain – fair crested, joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, the uttermost parts of the 4 north, city of the great king. Through its citadels, God made himself known as a haven. Walk around Zion, circle it; count her towers: take note of its ramparts; go through its citadels. • • • 27 ½ x 21˝ DSP20 All works are gouache & watercolor. Sharir’S PSALMS • • • hen Bernard Pucker of the Pucker artistically with the text seems to be based on classical Gallery in Boston commissioned David Jewish interpretation known in Hebrew as pshat and Sharir’s pictures for the psalms, the artist, drash: the former attempts to explain the “simple,” literal a secular Israeli Jew, had some hesitation and straightforward meaning of the text, whereas the about trying to deal with ancient poetry written in latter is a fanciful way of using the exegesis of the text to an archaic language with literary imagery very different the deeper meanings hidden within. from anything that we encounter today. However, Sharir turns to both pshat and drash to explain having been born in Israel with Hebrew as his native allusions to Bible stories, traditional theological tongue and a love for the Bible, Sharir decided to accept attitudes, and existential situations found in the psalms. the commission and to render depictions of the verbal His use of pshat can be seen, for example, in DSP23, imagery in his own personal artistic language. his illustration for Psalm 55, where the psalmist writes In the introduction to Sharir’s book, Celebrations: that he wishes he could become a dove so as to escape 3 Sacred and Secular (1991), Steven Troope and Paul the entanglements of life in the palace and fly to the Nagano talked about the artist’s unique style as being “a desert. His recourse to drash can be seen in DSP9 and celebration of the simplicity and the complexity…work DSP10, the illustrations for Psalm 69, where he refers that is full of contradictions yet his total vision expresses to the stories of Jonah and Joseph even though they are a profound unity and harmony among the disparate not mentioned in the psalm itself. Moreover, showing elements of nature” as well as portray “the chaos and the Joseph in a pit with snakes and scorpions (DSP10) does order; the terror and the joy of life.” Sharir continues not follow the biblical text, but is rather an allusion to use his invented “stylized, stereotyped figures” in to classical rabbinical commentary. That is, the Bible these visual interpretations of the psalms to reenact reads, “and the pit was empty, there was no water in it” “the games and rituals of human existence. Precisely (Genesis 37:24), and Rashi (11th century) explains the designed and meticulously painted, they play out their apparent redundancy by saying that the pit was empty of roles in idiosyncratic compositions which are often water but was full of snakes and scorpions. partitioned off into several ‘compartments,’ concepts Artistic license allows Sharir to introduce images derived from his architectural studies.” from his own life in his illustrations. The house in Jaffa Illuminating the Book of Psalms is an ancient where he and his family lived for 44 years and he first tradition that began with Christian medieval art and had his studio and its dome serve as symbols of the was adopted in the 13th century for illustrating Jewish Temple in many of his paintings, as, for example, in Ashkenazi manuscripts. Sharir’s method of dealing DSP22, his illustration for Psalm 118. PSALM 118 VERSE 22 • • • T he stone that the builders rejected has become the chief corner stone. • • • 17 ¾ x 13 ¾˝ DSP22 4 PSALM 45 VERSES 14, 15 • • • T he king’s daughter enters with all her wealth. Her dress is brocaded with gold mountings. Her maidens in her train, her companions are presented to her. • • • 15 ¾ x 19 ¾˝ DSP27 We can also find playful, humorous elements in We can see another example of the use of decorated Sharir’s work: in DSP27, his illustration for Psalm words in DSP13, painted for Psalm 29, in reference to 45, the king’s daughter wears a very elegant dress and the mighty voice of God reverberating over His created the little dog dares to wet her train and in DSP1, for universe. Sharir believes that the kabbalistic cosmic Psalm 92, he paints the righteous playing ping-pong, as connection between the “voice” and the name of God though they have nothing better to do. is the cause of unnatural occurrences that the psalmist In designing his illustrations, Sharir follows the cannot understand. Thus, the link between “Kol” (voice) tradition of medieval Hebrew illuminated manuscripts, and “Hashem” (God) serves as a visual skeleton for the maintaining the balance between “word” and “image” by pictorial composition that connects the serrated letters using verses written in square Hebrew script as decorative of the two words with the images that depict scenes from frames for his images, as, for example, in DSP5 and the psalm. DSP20, for Psalms 23 and 48, respectively. In portraying Another depiction in praise of God’s deeds in man’s exaltation of God he sets a decorated “word” in Creation can be seen in DSP6, the illustration for the center of the composition surrounded by a series Psalm 8. Sharir maintains that this psalm is a song of vignettes describing God’s deeds, as in DSP29, for of praise for both the Creator of the universe and His Psalm 74. The word “ATA” (You) is repeated seven times chosen creature—man. God, Who created the hosts of 5 in the psalm, referring to God as both the Creator and the heavens, the fauna, and the flora entrusted man (and the Destroyer of the forces of nature. The descriptions of woman) with the ability to rule, almost godlike, over God’s deeds in the text are mostly allegorical, referring His whole Creation. The artist’s interpretation shows to the Exodus from Egypt, the splitting of the Red Sea, a mountain that emerges from among the waves of the the wandering in the wilderness, and the crossing of the sea. All living things found in the sea, on the mountain, Jordan River. However, his visual depiction of the psalm and in the air are surrounded by a deep-blue ring filled does not include interpretation of the symbols, but rather with stars. Adam and Eve are seen standing on the top provides a straightforward description of God’s deeds in of the mountain as God’s envoys, in control of the entire a series of eight scenes, each drawn in its own “window.” universe, which God has placed in their hands. DSP8, The windows surround a central square in which the the illustration for Psalm 24, again portrays Adam and word “ATA” is written in traditional lettering against an Eve—as the crown of Creation—standing safely on dry ornamental background. land in the middle of the sea. A decorated “word” in a pictorial composition is the DSP11, the illustration for Psalm 19, depicts the Hebrew equivalent of the illuminated initial letters found heavens as a semi-circular shape (the artist’s cosmology, in Christian Psalters. The word “ATA” has a dual role: it which seems to have been influenced by early Byzantine both emphasizes the sevenfold repetition of the word and art) filled with winged creatures—both angels and stands as a graphic symbol for God in lieu of the human birds—all singing God’s praises. The larger angels image found in Latin Christian illustrations. sound the horns and the smaller ones accompany them PSALM 15 VERSES 1, 2 • • • Lord, who may sojourn in Your tent, who may dwell on Your holy mountain? He who walks without blame, doing righteousness, speaking truth in his heart. • • • 19 ¾ x 15 ¾” DSP7 6 PSALM 19 VERSE 1 • • • T he heavens declare the glory of God, the sky proclaims His handiwork. Day to day makes utterance, night to night speaks out. • • • 15 ¾ x 19 ½˝ DSP11 in a chorus. The blue-colored heavens symbolize the are accepted and the queues of the rejected are shown night and the white segment at its base with an image of leaving the picture and descending into Limbo. the sun represents the day. Psalm 15 (DSP7) posits the question, “Lord, who In further homage to the poet’s evident adoration of may sojourn in Your tent, who may dwell on Your holy God’s Creation, Sharir illustrated Psalm 42 (DSP4) in mountain?” Sharir’s interpretative response portrays the a way that expresses metaphorically the passion of the virtues of the enlightened man, the righteous one, who psalmist to get closer to God. “Like a deer thirsting for loves and respects others, and the reward coming to him; water, my soul cries for you, O God.” The illustration namely, unity with God in His special place. We see tents shows a deer’s easing his thirst, while a doe stands, (at the bottom) and houses in Jerusalem that go up to unreachable, on the opposite side of the winding stream. the summit, to the House of God and the dwelling place God, Who dwells outside the realm of earthly existence, for those who walk without blame, doing righteousness, is symbolized by a stylized angel/bird hybrid drawn with speaking truth in their hearts. a hint of Eros in the upper-left corner. Following the same theme in DSP20, for Psalm 48, Another way to approach God is described in Psalm Sharir chose to illustrate the verse “Walk around Zion.” 118 (DSP30).