Why Art?

Last week our sophomore students met Israeli artist, Tamar Messer. While listening to her explain her beautifully illustrated Haggadah, I realized that a week doesn’t go by at Cardin without some kind of hands-on experience with the arts. In addition to our regularly scheduled art classes and electives, students have opportunities to participate in minyanim and workshops making art, producing films illustrating Talmudic teachings, creating visual representations of passages from English literature, building models of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) and making collages for History class. It would be difficult to find a class taught in our school in which the teacher does not incorporate the arts in some form.

Why art?

Elbert Hubbart said that “Art is not a thing; it is a way.” Art is not only a subject to learn about. At the Cardin School “art” is something to live; it is a way of learning and a way of looking at the world. Art is not only an enjoyable activity; it is also a powerful learning tool for students who may struggle with verbal expression. It can also be used to demonstrate many aspects of good writing – the artist has to pay attention to tone, mood, audience or purpose similar to a writer. Visual expression can help a student associate the material with art, increasing retention.

It is very difficult to overstate the significance of art in studying Torah. Both visiting artists, Tamar Messer and David Wander, called their art “visual midrashim” – visual commentaries on the text. I am sure they would agree with Aristotle who said that “the aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance”. It helps connect our experiences, emotions and thoughts with text study. And if it is true, as Jerzy Kosinski said “the principle of art is to pause, not bypass;” art helps us to create an intimate, personal moment with the Torah. We pause and look more carefully and then we express our reflection with shape, color and texture.

The connection between Torah and Art is not a modern invention. God was the first to appoint an artisan – Betzalel, to overlook the building of the Mishkan (the Tabernacle) – “to weave designs, to work with gold, silver, and copper… - to perform every craft” [Ex. 31:2 – 5]. It is obvious that the artistic experience of creating and living among beautiful things is as important or maybe even necessary for performing ritual acts.

At Cardin, every student has a chance to become a disciple of Betzalel and to create his or her own visual midrashim on the Torah, reflecting his or her own individuality, creativity and understanding.

Rochel Czopnik
Judaic Studies Instructor