Sunday, October 07, 2018

Art of Revelation: A Visual Encounter with the Jewish Bible, Stunning!

I am very privileged to be reviewing Yoram Raanan's Art of Revelation: A Visual Encounter with the Jewish Bible.

For months I had been waiting for the book to arrive, and it was certainly worth the wait. It's the art book worth buying a coffee table for.

Some of you may have read about the burning of Raanan's studio a couple of years ago.
"IN NOVEMBER 2016, A FIRE DESTROYED MY STUDIO, TOGETHER WITH FORTY YEARS OF WORK,
I soon began painting again, and I realized this was only another part of a journey I'd begun long ago..." Yoram Raanan
Miraculously, after the fire that destroyed Raanan's studio and a large percentage of his paintings, he was able to produce this book from photos of them.

I went through Raanan's entire book, studying all the paintings. It is organized by the weekly Torah Portions. For some Torah Portions there is more than one painting, since apparently he uses the art medium of his painting to interpret the Bible, annually. It reminded me of how, each year when we read Parshot Shavua, we see different points/lessons and interpret the same words, verses and stories differently each year. I found some of the paintings absolutely stunning, aesthetically and spiritually.  Many of Raanan's paintings would be exquisite on silk.

Lech Lecha

Noach

Bereishit

Aren't they gorgeous!? Definitely awesome.

Presently, Art of Revelation: A Visual Encounter with the Jewish Bible by Yoram Raanan can only be purchased via his site; click here. It's a visual and spiritual treat, perfect to feast your eyes on Shabbat,  Jewish Holidays and weekdays, too. Perfect as a gift, not only to give to others. You should enjoy it, too.

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