The Bezalel school was an

art movement An art movement is a tendency or style in art with a specific common philosophy or goal, followed by a group of artists during a specific period of time, (usually a few months, years or decades) or, at least, with the heyday of the movement defi ...

in Palestine in the late Ottoman and British Mandate periods. Named for the Bezalel Art School, predecessor of the

Bezalel Academy of Art and Design Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design ( he, בצלאל, אקדמיה לאמנות ועיצוב) is a public college of design and art located in Jerusalem. Established in 1906 by Jewish painter and sculptor Boris Schatz, Bezalel is Israel's oldes ...

, it has been described as "a fusion of

oriental art The history of Asian art includes a vast range of arts from various cultures, regions, and religions across the continent of Asia. The major regions of Asia include Central, East, South, Southeast, and West Asia. Central Asian art primarily co ...

and Art Nouveau."

History

Although

Jewish art Jewish culture is the culture of the Jewish people, from its formation in ancient times until the current age. Judaism itself is not a faith-based religion, but an orthoprax and ethnoreligion, pertaining to deed, practice, and identity. Jewis ...

in Mandatory Palestine has a history that reaches back to at least the mid-19th century, the commonly held view when the Bezalel Art School was founded generally dismissed earlier works as being of little value. One author wrote that "every historical survey of contemporary Israeli art must begin with

Boris Schatz Boris Schatz ( he, בוריס שץ; 23 December 1866 – 23 March 1932) was a Lithuanian Jewish artist and sculptor who settled in Israel. Schatz, who became known as the "father of Israeli art," founded the Bezalel School in Jerusalem. After ...

and with the establishment of the Bezalel School." Another commented that "Schatz was first among the pioneers who attempted to create a Jewish Art, indeed a Palestinian Art". Yona Fischer has said that Bezalel is not the beginning of Jewish art and craft in Israel but that it is, considered within the historical context of

Zionism Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after '' Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...

, a movement that "divides past and future" of an emerging Israel "searching its own definition".

Style and themes

The Bezalel school artists blended varied strands of surroundings, tradition and innovationin paintings and craft objects that invoked biblical themes, Islamic design and European traditions in their effort to carve out a distinctive style of Jewish art for the new nation planned in the ancient Jewish homeland. The works of art created by the group contributed significantly to the creation of a distinctive Israeli national culture. The founder of the school was

, who left his position as head of the Royal Academy of Arts in Sofia, Bulgaria, to make aliyah 1906 and established an academy for Jewish arts in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. The artists were Zionist immigrants from Europe and the Middle East, with all the psychological and social upheaval that this implies. The movement developed a distinctive style combining Biblical and Zionist subjects with art nouveau,

symbolism Symbolism or symbolist may refer to: Arts * Symbolism (arts), a 19th-century movement rejecting Realism ** Symbolist movement in Romania, symbolist literature and visual arts in Romania during the late 19th and early 20th centuries ** Russian sym ...

and traditional Persian and Syrian artistry. The Bezalel School produced decorative art objects in a wide range of materials: silver, leather, wood, brass and fabric. While the artists and designers were European-trained, the craftsmen who executed the works were often members of the Yemenite Jewish community, which had a long tradition of craftsmanship in precious metals, and began to make aliyah about 1880. In Yemen, filigree jewelry making was a respected profession among the Jews, with cultural as well as religious applications.

Yemenite Jewish silversmiths Yemenite silversmithing refers to the work of Jewish silversmiths from Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian P ...

worked primarily with silver, creating pieces by hand using traditional methods. Yemenite immigrants wearing colorful traditional costumes were also frequent subjects of Bezalel School artists. Leading members of the school were Boris Schatz, E. M. Lilien, Ya'akov Stark, Meir Gur-Aryeh,

Ze'ev Raban Ze’ev Raban (22 September 1890 – 19 January 1970), born Wolf Rawicki (Ravitzki), was a leading painter, decorative artist, and industrial designer of the Bezalel school style, and was one of the founders of the Israeli art world. Biography ...

, Jacob Eisenberg,

Jacob Steinhardt Jacob Steinhardt (1887–1968) ( he, יעקב שטיינהרדט) was a German-born Israeli painter and woodcut artist. Biography Jacob Steinhardt was born in Zerkow, German Empire (now Żerków, Poland). He attended the School of Art in Berli ...

, Shmuel Ben David, and

Hermann Struck Hermann Struck (6 March 1876 – 11 January 1944) was a German Jewish artist known for his etchings. Biography Hermann Struck (Chaim Aaron ben David) was born in Berlin. He studied at the Berlin Academy of Fine Arts. In 1904, he joined the m ...

. The artists produced not only paintings and etchings, but objects sold as Judaica and souvenirs. In 1915, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' praised the “Exquisite examples of filigree work, copper inlay, carving in ivory and in wood,” in a touring exhibit. In the metalwork Moorish patterns predominated, and the damascene work, in particular, showed both artistic feeling and skill in execution.Work of Bezalel School of Handicrafts, ''The New York Times'', Jan. 9, 1914
/ref>

References

{{reflist

External links

Bezalel School
at The Jewish Museum (New York)
Dalia Manor, “Biblical Zionism in Bezalel Art,”
Israel Studies 6.1 (2001) 55-75 Art movements Decorative arts Artist groups and collectives Art Nouveau Israeli culture Israeli art Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design

History

Style and themes

See also

References

Further reading

External links