Two Paintings

Over the last month and a half I’ve become the proud owner of two Igal Fedida abstract paintings. But as I’ve said before, on these pages, about the artist:

He is a modern painter with a message that extends beyond time. His colors are bold, Hebrew letters appear almost invariably, his brush strokes reveal a lot more about the subject matter than do the works of far more photo realistic artists. In short, though he paints Jewish art, his paintings speak to Jew and non-Jew alike, his works stir up emotions far beyond what the eyes can perceive. While looking at his works, you see the colors dance, you see the colors explode; no definable shape is discernible, yet everything that exists or ever existed is in them.”

The first one I acquired, is 12″x 12″ painted on paper…

…”Between heavens and earth” represents – to me – the light breaking through the chaos as Creation starts to take shape and life though not fully defined, is just emerging. On the lower right corner the Hebrew letter “Bet,” the first letter of the book of Genesis is fully and beautifully shaped, it shows that though the elements were not yet recognizable, even through the Chaos everything was there and followed a very definite Divine plan.

The second work, which I got a few weeks later is a 40″ x 40″ mixed media on canvas…

…”Explosion of Bereshit” happens shortly after the first depiction of Creation above. The Hebrew calligraphy quotes the first four verses of Genesis:

“(1:1) In the beginning of God‘s creating the heavens and the earth — (1:2) when the earth was astonishingly empty, with darkness upon the surface of the deep, and the Divine Presence hovered upon the surface of the waters — (1:3) God said, “Let there be light, and there was light. (1:4) God saw that the light was good and God separated between the light and the darkness.
(The Stone Edition Artscroll Tanach translation)

That early supernal light, as it acquires strength, become a beautiful combination of colors, a pleasing canvas on which the Almighty’s creations will find a home. But… what about the viewer who heretofore denied the involvement, denied the very existence of a Divine Entity? To him/her the painting pointedly poses the question: can such an event as Creation be the result of random cataclysmic happenings that just resulted in life as we know it? 

Fedida‘s paintings may not solve philosophical dilemmas of faith, but they certainly present a clarification and a realistic interpretation – based on his kabalistic studies – of how Creation might have happened… Because, gentle reader, while looking at his works, you see the colors dance, you see the colors explode. While no definable shape is easily discernible, if you look carefully at the small details – the sudden turn of the painter’s brush, the shapes hinted – you soon realize that everything that exists or ever existed is represented here.

CS