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The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle, January 4, 2001:
Art reflects life, bitter and sweet
By Iris M. Samson
Black and white. Bitter and sweet. Hot and cold. Life is full
of contrasts; it is a constant complexity.
Contrasts were never more evident than in the show on display
now through February 4 at the Michael Berger Gallery in Shadyside. Berger
is exhibiting works of two wonderful Jewish artists, the late Ben Shahn,
one of the 20th Century's leading social realists, and local artist Leonard
Leibowitz, artist, etcher and print-maker extraordinaire.
From their unique styles to choice of materials, the contrast
in works by these two marvelous artists is an amazement. They agree on the
subject matter, Jews. They diverge, however, in every other aspect - except
for the fact that both exhibits are incredibly evocative.
Berger is displaying Ben Shahn's "Hallelujah Suite," published
a year after the artist's death in 1971. It is a limited edition book of
24 lithographs by Shahn illustrating the 150th Psalm, a "praise Psalm" known
for its unequaled prose extolling G-d. The 150th Psalm, called the "grandest
symphony of praise ever composed on earth," is rich in imagery, just
crying out for illustration.
The Psalmist calls for praise to G-d through "the blast
of the horn," "with psaltery and harp," "with timbrel and
dance," "stringed instruments and the pipe," and more. Imagine
what an artist like Ben Shahn, with strong, minimalist strokes, can accomplish.
Shahn drew on his early education, when as a child he studied
passages from the Bible. He copied text, learning calligraphy and inspiring
a lifelong interest in lettering. That comes through in the Hebrew that accompanies
each illustration. Bold, imperfect, Shahn's strokes are a form of praise
in itself.
Over the course of his life, Shahn backed away from his early
upbringing, spurning religion. But in the foreword to "Hallelujah," we
learn from his wife, Bernarda Bryson Shahn, that Shahn came back to it later
in his life, rediscovering his roots.
"He loved all the Psalms," she writes, "but
especially the 150th." That love is openly evident. The illustrations
of instruments, musicians, the Hebrew calligraphy, virtually sing with
joy. Simple, primitive, strong, Ben Shahn's illustrations are a labor of
love.
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