"The Beating Heart Caring for Jerusalem" by Yaacov Agamcreates shadows for Shadow Shot Sunday.
I guess back in 1984 when Agam made his kinetic sculpture for Hadassah, the hospital and the country must have had enough water to keep the fountain flowing and the heart beating.No more . . . We are drying up.
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Here is a video of the now-old artist explaining his beating heart sculptures.
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The Torah says no to the making of graven images.
Agam believes that part of the reason for that prohibition is that Judaism embraces the value of life, and life is not static. Life is in a state of continual change and therefore the art of Jerusalem should be different from those of all other civilizations.
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Agam was born in 1928 in Rishon Lezion, then a small, semi-rural settlement. His father, Rabbi Yehoshua Gipstein--who devoted his life to Jewish religious learning, meditation, and fasting--refused to register his son in a school because no place in a religious school was available.
So the boy grew up without any formal education and almost without the company of other children.
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Fortunately for himself and the world, at age 18 he went up to Jerusalem and then to Zurich to study art.
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A very unusual, interesting sculpture! I just wish we had more sculpture around our town!
ReplyDeleteA beautiful sculpture, Dina. And I like the explanation, especially the part that says that the Torah forbids graven images. It is what Moslems believe too.
ReplyDeleteSo beautiful, but so sad about the water.
ReplyDeleteFascinating story of the artist's life and the way he felt about art. Thanks, Dina.
-- K
Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel
That's beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI have not watched the video yet but I will (I was a potter and a "sculptor" in a former life and another country).
ReplyDeleteI suppose the fountain was full of water a few decades ago and the sculpture was partly hidden. There is a water problem in so many countries now. We should all be more careful with the water we use.
this is beautiful, even without the water. thank you for the information over the artist!
ReplyDeleteWhat gorgeous photos of the sculpture. I love the shadows and lines, so beautiful and stunning.
ReplyDeleteA beating heart absolutely does need moving water... otherwise the metaphor falls over. It could be sea water, if necessary, and definitely recycled over and over.
ReplyDeleteHappy, healthy and peaceful 2011 to you!
What a great piece of art. Thank you for introducing it to us. Please have a good new week.
ReplyDeletedaily athens
That's a wonderful sculpture! It's unfortunate that it no longer exists as a water fountain. Here in Australia we were experiencing drought for many years not so long ago and all of our public sculpture water fountains were no longer used either. Now we are experiencing flooding. From one extreme to the other. I hope your weather conditions improve and you soon receive some much needed rain. Wish I could send you mine!
ReplyDeleteHis life sounds like a story Chiam Potok would write
ReplyDeleteWe may not agree on everything, but the statue was great and it is a pity that there is not enough water to supply it.
ReplyDeleteLet's call this 'work', because sculpture is really another thing. I just can't see how one can sculpt his way into this!
ReplyDeleteI like the guy, he is creative and his works are really a pleasure to see. No water involved this time?
I love these photos. Thanks for sharing them.
ReplyDeleteHave a nice day, Boonie