Hidden Messages in German, English and Hebrew
Can you find the Hebrew word for light אור hidden in this painting?
The painting emerged out of the move to a new continent, embracing a different life and trusting the unknown, when I came to Pittsburgh in 1998.
The creation process of this abstract oil on canvas painting evolved over the course of half a year. Since I began painting abstract art I hide secret spiritual messages in every painting. It may be in form of a Hebrew word, like in this painting, or in form of sacred sentence in the underlying layers of the painting.
The evolution of my art is always closely connected to my spiritual path and the insights I receive during meditation. At times entire paintings show up in my mind’s eye during meditation and then they slowly, over time, turn into a physical manifestation.
Hand of God, Israel 1997
In this painting you find the Hebrew words for Eternal Life חיים לנצח.
The glove on the top right is a glove I found thrown in the dust in a back alley in Tel Aviv. I immediately knew that I would glue it onto the canvas of a painting I was working on. Coming from the top right the glove of a left hand represents the ‘Hand of God.’
As the counter part you find to the left a red abstracted hand, in the color of the root chakra, representing Earth. The abstraction also reminds of a Hamsa, which is equally important to Arabic and Hebrew Traditions. The depiction of the open right hand, is an image recognized and used as a sign of protection.
The hermetic concept ‘As above, so below,’ the communication between heaven and earth, and how the two interact is a guiding theme in many of my abstract paintings.
Und morgen sind wir tot, Israel 1993
The following painting from 1993 celebrates life with vibrant colors and intense brushstrokes. On the right side the German words ‘und morgen sind wir tot’ are vertically written close to the edge of the painting.
‘Und morgen sind wir tot’ translates to ‘and tomorrow we may be dead.’
The painting was created during a peak time of terrorism and bus bombings in Israel. The awareness that tomorrow we may be dead stands for the realization that every day can be our last day. There are no guarantees for a tomorrow. This sense of urgency of living forces the individual to be totally present in the here and now.
Buried underneath thick layers of vibrant oil colors, invisible to the eye, are written the Hebrew words ומחר נמות.
The translation to ‘and tomorrow we may be dead.’
German and English are written from left to right, whereas Hebrew is written from right to left.
Turned vertically this indicates a direction of thought, the hidden message and the visible message communicate from the above to the below (in German) and from the below to the above (in Hebrew).
At the same time the colorful dance of life, which dominates the majority of the painting, continues.
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