CHASSIDIC POP ART | YITZCHOK MOULLY
Jewish Pop Art - Yitzchok Moully
I’m excited to share that my pop up gallery ‘Chassidim of Color’ will be included in the 2nd part of Oprah’s segment on chassidim!
Click on the link to see a preview of the show.
Watch a sneak preview of Oprah’s visit to Brooklyn. Then tune in Sunday, February 12, at 9/8c to watch the all-new episode of Oprah’s Next Chapter. Find OWN on your TV service provider
This past summer I had the pleasure of meeting David Ariel De Guglielmi in his charming gallery in the Jewish ghetto in Venice, Italy. Batsheva and I were on vacation visiting the beautiful city of Venice, the place I studied to be a Rabbi 10 years ago, and have always wanted to return and to share with my wife.
Walking along the ghetto streets pointing out all the new spaces that have popped up in the last 10 years (contrasted with the places that have been there for centuries) we came upon David’s work spilling out of the gallery on to the cobble stone streets of the ghetto. I was drawn in by the energy, variance and colors on display. David’s work is filled with a love of God and his people, full of life, vibrantce and meaning. David’s work is an expression of his passion for his Judaism and his desire to share it with everyone who comes his way.
But that was not always the case; David grew up in Milan, Italy with a very limited knowledge and concern of his Jewish identity. David, who was creating art from an early age went to the art school Liceo Artistico Hajec in Milan following high school. While at school David bumped heads with the faculty and decided to leave school and go at it on his own, exploring figurative application of old techniques and informal expression, becoming fascinated with the first uses of oil painting. David’s art career took off with shows in Milan, Brescia, Genoa, and New York with work displayed at the Venice Biennale.
Following a serious car accident David put painting to the side and began exploring his spirituality, dabbling in a few different disciplines until he came upon his own faith, his Jewish heritage.
David’s family came along for the journey, making it a group effort, where they began a life of Torah and mitzvot (Jewish teachings observances) as they continued to learn. David did not see the place for art in his new lifestyle and found a job working as a ‘mashgiach’ a kosher supervisor in a factory in Italy. David found contentment in his new spiritual path seeing to grow in other areas outside of his art. A senior kosher supervisor approached David one day and said “This Kosher supervision work is not for you. You are an artist; you have a talent, a gift. You have to use your talents to share your new found conviction and faith in God with others”
To communicate his deep love for Torah,
To dialogue with any and all tourists who pass his gallery – no matter their beliefs
To host intimate musical gatherings in the square in front of the gallery.
To communicate the essence of God and His love for humanity, and how one can connect with God.
Today David continues to paint daily in his gallery, finding harmony with his soul and it’s expression. David has returned to figurative work with depictions of daily life in the ghetto, from the young Chabad students running with their Tefillin, sharing with a new tourist, or the doors of the ancient synagogue.
What drives an artist to adopt a particular style, theme or pallet?
Growing up in post war Europe to survivor parents of the Holocaust , one would expect the work of Shoshannah Brombacher to have a heavy, somber overtone. That is not the case at all.
The Shtettle images that come to life with Shoshannah’s brush are not the harsh truths of some of the Shtettle experiences, but rather the uplifting soulful moments. Shoshannah’s paintings are filled with vibrant hues and colorful depictions of a time gone by that Shoshannah connects with. The Shtettle is her personal oasis, stepping back from the outside world to a personal space where her spirit can be free.
Shoshannah’s subject matter for her art is inspired from the volumes of Chassidic stories she would read in her father’s study as a young girl. To her these stories would talk to her and allowed her to escape to perhaps a better time. Chassidic stories and biblical figures intertwine and flow through Shoshannah’s work; it is more about capturing an expression and passion than depicting a historical moment.
Shoshannah grew up in Holland just after the war in a non-observant Jewish home. With no Jewish school to choose from, Shoshannah was sent to a Catholic School to be educated. At the age of 14 Shoshannah began seeking her identity, which she found through studying Judaism. At the same time Shoshannah found a love for her two passions: Classical music and Jewish art. To Shoshannah, both art and music express a deep intimate connection with the soul.
Shoshannah made her way to NY in the early 90’s via Berlin and Jerusalem, meeting the man who would later be her husband. Settling first in the Lower East Side, then the East Village, before moving to Williamsburg (pre hipster) where Shoshannah immersed herself in family life and her art. Shoshannah connected to the Chassidic community in South Williamsburg who accepted her despite not being one of them (but being orthodox and a mother helped break down those barriers).
Today Shoshannah is among the foremost Jewish, religious artists. She sees her role to educate both the Chassidic community where she lives about the beauty and place of art in our lives, as well as, educating the wider art world of the growing diverse art in the Jewish community. Shoshannah lectures in museums and to high school and college students and is a member of a number of Jewish art groups.
What is Jewish art? To Shoshannah it is an expression of the soul. As Shoshannah puts it, “a Jewish artist need not frequent the cafes for lengthy discussions or late night parties, art is an expression of the soul and Jewish art by that extension is the expression of a Jewish soul”. And we find that expression in her works. Her motivation as an artist is not to make a living (as many artists would confirm that its a hard market) but rather as a personal expression that she can also share with others. Through her art, Shoshannah shares her love for her Jewish heritage and its’ relevance in today’s world.
For Shoshannah, to paint is to be; it is an expression of her colorful uplifted soul. Shoshannah Brombacher’s work can be seen here.
Shalom,
Thank G-D our group show in Crown heights, Brooklyn is a great success!
Thank you to all the amazing artists who are taking part in the show.
open from 12pm through 2am it does not leave much time for sleep – or writing a blog.
the details again are:
the gallery is located at 368 Kingston Ave. Brooklyn NY
and open till 2am tonight – Monday and Tuesday
A Chabad news outlet COL covered the event last night and posted pictures on their site
Click HERE to see the pictures
Big News!
I found a storefront in Crown Heights, Brooklyn that is available during the Holiday of Sukkot. I am renting it and hosting a group show called “Chassidim of Color”
I would like to showcase Chassidic artists who are bringing color to their lives and the lives of others
All the information for the Call to art is HERE
Please spread the word and I look forward to greeting everyone at the opening event on October 16
Moully
Here is a press release about the show:
Press Release:
Chabad Chassidic Artists Create group Show entitled “Chassidim of Color”
Jewish Pop Art presents a group show showcasing the work of an unlikely section of artists; Chassidim of the Chabad Chassidim.
Chassidim for the most part are stereotyped and known for their full length dark dress and furry hats not canvases of color, but ‘Pop Art Rabbi’ and artist Rabbi Yitzchok Moully -wants to change that.
On display From October 16- through 19 at 368 Kingston Ave. in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn the show will showcase the growing number of Chassidim artists who might dress in traditional colors but who paint in vibrant hues.
Art is not traditionally taught in Chassidic institutions, but there is a growing appreciation for its need in the community. The Chabad Rebbe, Rabbi Shneerson encouraged people to use their natural talents to enhance and further the Torah’s teachings.
“This month from October 16- through 19 I plan to continue the Rebbe’s message of using color as a vehicle for sharing the importance of Judaism to the streets of Crown Heighs” says the show organizer, Rabbi Moully
During the week long Jewish holiday of Sukkot the streets of Crown Heights Brooklyn come alive with dancing from evening till morning. Celebrating the connection to G-D achieved on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.
Chassidic masters tell us that you can accomplish with simcha on Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah that which you can accomplish with tears on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.
The show will take place right where the festivities are taking place giving people the opportunity to step from the perhaps conservatively dressed streets to a gallery of color. Hopefully the show will encourage individuals and perhaps even instructions the great importance of color and art, even in the Chassidic community.
The press is invited to the show’s opening night, October 16 from 8pm at 368 Kingston Ave. Brooklyn.
For more information or to contact Moully go to www.MoullyArt.com or 908 448 1417
