An Illumination For Art Project “Genesis 101”
An artistic expression of Genesis based on biblical text, midrash (exegesis) and Kabbalah
· Overall Pattern: Circle and Lines
Judaism understands time as spiral, possessing elements of repetitive patterns and linear progression. This is why this image has both linear and circular expressions and should be seen as a fusion of both.
The six days of creation dominate the circle. Circular objects tend to be in movement, and so too nature is constantly dynamic.
The expression of the seventh day is shown in a linear and static position (as opposed to writing the text in a circular pattern to match the other images). This represents “on the seventh day He ceased and rested."
· Day One:
Aleph is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and here it represents day one of creation.
On this day God creates light and separates it from darkness. Day and night are the results. This division is represented through the split mirror images of the Aleph – one half darkened by ink and one half emanating light. If you look carefully you will see that the left part of the letter has no border, rather its image is created by the rays of light emanating from the source. This spiritual source cannot be contained and thus I drew no barrier around it.
· Second Day:
On the second day of creation, God creates the division between the upper and lower waters, and thus the heavenly firmament and the seas were formed. The second letter – Bet – is clearly inserted in the center of the frame. The upper half meshes with the clouds, while the lower half merges with the waves. You can also see that the contours of the clouds and waves parallel each other. This represents their original union followed by their separation.
· Third Day:
“And God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, seed yielding herbs and fruit trees producing fruit according to its kind in which its seed is found, on the earth," and it was so.”
The third day is represented here by the third letter of the Hebrew alphabet: Gimel. I tried to make the letter as botanical as possible. The "feet" of the Gimel have roots digging into the earth. (Dry land was also part of this day of creation). The central vertical line has the appearance of a vine. The crown is comprised of three vertical lines rising from the top of the letter, ending with a small circle on each. I kept the central line of the crown in a more traditional expression, but it also represents the "seed" mentioned in the verse. The right has a flower, representing "sprouting vegetation", while the left is incorporated within a grape cluster, which is one of the seven species that the land of Israel is blessed with.
· Fourth Day:
"And God made the two great luminaries: the great luminary to rule the day and the lesser luminary to rule the night, and the stars. "
Based on this verse, I inserted the moon (on the left), the stars and a planet (on the right), and the sun (in the center).
I purposely illustrated a new moon as I imagine that the “brand-new moon” of genesis could only be a new moon.
Of course, there is also the fourth letter of the Hebrew alphabet – the Dalet - enmeshed within. The top part of the Dalet is the sun, and one of the sun's rays – the only one that is not detached from the "sun-Dalet" is its leg.
· Fifth Day:
"And God said, "Let the waters swarm … and let fowl fly over the earth across the expanse of the heavens …"
The fifth day of creation is represented by the fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet: Heh.
The main additions to creation on this day are the fish and fowl. The top part of the Heh gently incorporates a bird in flight. I drew the heavenly sky above the Heh to indicate that this bird is indeed flying across the expanse of the heavens.
"And God created the great taninim…"
I chose to follow the idea that the taninim are whales of leviathan proportion. The two legs of the Heh are made up of two whale tales. Their bodies are too large to display in this image, and thus are hidden beneath the waves of the seas.
· Sixth Day:
"And God created man in His image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."
In the sixth and last day of creation God created land animals culminating with the creation of humans. For this artistic representation, I chose the sixth letter of the Hebrew alphabet: Vav.
This entire segment is combined of mirrored elements representing the male/female duality of creation. There is not one Vav but two. They are fused at the back, one is black and the other white. Pure duality.
The lines on either side of the Vavs are meant to create a representation of a kiddush cup – the cup we use to sanctify the moment of transition from our week of creation to our day of Shabbat.
At the same time, if you shift your point of view, those two lines create an image of two faces gazing at one another. They too are mirror images and also drawn in reverse and obverse: a black face with white hair versus a white face with black hair. While the fused Vavs represent the fused male/female, these faces represent Adam and Eve.
· Shabbat:
The seventh day is expressed only by words without images. This is the day that God blessed and sanctified, and likewise we bless and sanctify it every week.
The text written in the center is the biblical description of the first Shabbat, but the concept of keeping the expression of this day in only a written format without images, is meant to encourage the observer, even one who cannot read Hebrew, to see and to sense the kedusha - the holiness – of this day.
· A word on using scribal (sofer) parchment
I chose to express the concept of creation on parchment with ink – the tools of scribes.
God created the world with words while scribes create a world of words; God worked with words of creation, while a scribe’s work is the creation of words.
· A word about “Jewish Evolution”
In my understanding concerning creation, the danger of pure science is reaching a conclusion that there is no God and the danger of pure creationism is reaching a conclusion that there is no developmental evolution. I believe that the Torah purposefully weaves the two together in order to encourage us, and demand of us, to take part in creating the ever-developing world and to take part in developing the ever-creating world. We are meant to partner with God in creating His creation. This is a lifelong mission, and one that spans through every generation without exception.
For me, this final message, more than any other, is worthy of artistic expression and should be shouted overtly from every rooftop and subtly shine through every medium available.
Josh Evenchen
5781
p.s. This is an abbreviated explanation. Please contact me if you are interested in reading the unabridged explanation.