COMPANY Name

The Story of Israel Through the Eyes of Its Artists Instructor: Dr. Sharon Gershoni

From the early days of the yishuv, Israeli artists participated in shaping the identity of the “new Jew,” the Sabra, and Israeli national mythologies and ideologies. At the same time, Israeli artists have also been Israeli society’s harshest critics. Their art offers us a complex view of Israeli society. These lectures explore the first 100 years of the formation of Israeli society and the Jewish state through the eyes of its artists – from its utopian collective identity, through political struggles, and into a nation fragmented by diverse cultures and social realities.

For more information please contact:

sharon.gershoni@gmail.com

Israeli Art

ISRAELI ART THROUGH THE EYES OF ITS ARTISTS Dr. Sharon Gershoni 1

THE BEGINNINGS OF MODERN JEWISH ART IN

19TH CENTURY EUROPE

The roots of Israeli art lie in the emergence of Jewish art in 19th century Europe. Yet, in contrast to the renaissance in Hebrew literature in Europe at that time, very few Jewish sculptors and painters are known to have worked then. What were the obstacles that these artists faced? How did they respond to the anti-Semitic caricatures and grotesque imagery in the mass media? How did they portray themselves and their communities? How did their perception of the Jew influence Israeli art? This lecture introduces the pioneers of Jewish art through a review of their lives and work.

BEZALEL – THE FIRST ART SCHOOL IN JERUSALEM

AND THE CREATION OF THE “NEW JEW”

Bezalel, the first ever Jewish art school, was founded in Jerusalem in 1907 by Boris Schatz. Schatz believed in the power of Jewish artists to evoke a new identity in the Jewish people, and to inspire them to become a modern nation. The art created at Bezalel delivered the first symbols of freedom, and of the New Jew’s strength of spirit and body. While Bezalel’s images attracted many European Jewish youth to Palestine, being aimed at diaspora Jews, they failed to communicate to the yishuv (Jewish pioneers). This lecture tells the story of Boris Schazt and his vision of Bezalel Jewish art school in Jerusalem as a force that ignited the spark of the new Jewish nation.

ISRAELI ART THROUGH THE EYES OF ITS ARTISTS Dr. Sharon Gershoni 2

1920s MODERNIST ART IN TEL AVIV:

SEARCHING FOR IDENTITY IN THE LAND

In the 1910s-1920s, while Bezalel Art School in Jerusalem produced biblically inspired art, its frustrated students rebelled and left to the newly established city of Tel Aviv. There, they formed modernist art circles, turning their gaze away from biblical figures and towards the land and its local inhabitants. How did the 1920s modernists perceive themselves, the pioneers and the Palestinians? How was their work different from that of Bezalel? This lecture will survey the works of these artists, their world and their visions of life in Eretz Israel.

THE PALESTINIANS IN THE EYES OF ISRAELI

ARTISTS

The Jewish artists who arrived in Eretz Israel - in the early 1900s, came in search of their homeland, and a national identity. How did their initial encounter with the Palestinian inhabitants shape their perception of themselves and their identity? And how did that view change over the course of the 20th century? At times, the Palestinians reminded these artists of their Biblical ancestors, an integral part of the motherland. At other times, they were siblings to either be emulated, or rejected... the other, or us. This lecture reviews one hundred years of Israeli art in search of a new Jewish identity through depictions of the Palestinian inhabitants of Eretz Israel, as well as recent Palestinian art- reversing the direction of the gaze.

ISRAELI ART THROUGH THE EYES OF ITS ARTISTS Dr. Sharon Gershoni 2

THE ISRAELIS IN THE EYES OF ISRAELI ARTISTS

Who are “the Israelis?” Are they “New Jews” – natives of the Land of Israel? Or are they European settlers? And what of the North African and Asian Israelis? Or the Palestinians? How do they fit into this picture? Since the late 19th century, the identity of “the Israeli” has been a central theme in Israeli art and society. This lecture will trace how Israeli artists have observed and represented the identity shifts, fractures and reconstructions in their society, and have even influenced the shaping of these identities. Who are the Israelis? Ask the Israeli artists!

HA’ARETZ – THE LAND – IN THE EYES OF ISRAELI

ARTISTS

The land of Israel has been perceived as a dream, a mother, and even a new religion. She was wild nature that could be tamed and farmed. She was a replacement for God, nurturing them, but sometimes betraying them. They fought for her and she is soaked with blood of the youth who gave their lives for her. "What is Eretz Israel? How did Israeli society shape it and how did it shape Israeli identity? What is the power of the land? This will be revealed in this survey of a 100 years of Israeli art on Ha’Aretz (The Land).