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Bet Shemesh, Is - February 18th, 2014
Hebrew Lettering and Jewish Mystical Art: A Look at David B. Wolk's Scriptural Paintings What is it about the Hebrew lettering, and its written word, that makes it so dominant in Jewish mystical/abstract art today? In a parallel vein to artist Mel Alexenberg, who proclaims post digital art requires the inspiration of creative Judaic thinking, painter David Baruch Wolk believes that contemporary abstract painting has true meaning only when contending with intellect and the written word. According to Wolk, where abstract expressionism ends, visual words begin. A look at Wolk's conceptual process provides a glimpse into the function of Hebrew lettering and their words in the visual aesthetics of the mystical Jewish painter. When it comes to incorporation of texts, Wolk, with the rest of the Jewish mystical movement, is in parallel existence with the general contemporary visual art worl...
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Art And Soul David Baruch Wolk Artist Scribe And Talmudic Scholar
Bet Shemesh, Is - July 30th, 2013
this photographic essay by Rav Chaim and Esther Tscholkowsky appeared in the magazine "Mishpacha", 28 Shvat 5771.
Bet Shemesh, Is - July 30th, 2013
"Not all is black and white in Beit Shemesh, as is presented here: The colors and hues are brought specifically by a Charedi Jew: David Baruch Wolk: Still in his youth he was an establsihed artist and painter but from then he came to the understanding that the art in which he was involved was rooted in foreign worship and was not just imaginations but complete falsehood: Admidst his search for the truth he arrived at the Holy letters and from them he constructs his paintings: To all who doesn't succeed to be spoken to, he recommends his art of the letters as a vessel to connect people to The Holy One, Blessed is He, "exactly as the world of advertising who uses forms, colors and letters."
Letter Of Commendation By Nurit Bank, Professional Lecturer On Jewish Art
Bet Shemesh, Is - July 30th, 2013
“I was tremendously moved when viewing “B’Seter Elion” paintings by David Wolk. These paintings represent an extraordinary combination of the finest abstract art and the Jewish expression. The intricate use of layers of color which transfers deep emotional content, combined with carefully chosen quotations of our Sages, creates a multi-dimensional influence on the viewer. A beautiful piece of art radiates tremendous energy. This energy is multiplied by use of Hebrew letters that our Sages teach us have the energy of creation itself embedded within them. Just being in the presence of these works creates a very deep and powerful experience. When I first viewed these works, the deep emotions stirred within me were expressed through true tears of joy and excitement that I haven’t experienced for many years. I am sure that whoever will merit to bring these beautiful pieces into his home will enjoy these multi-level energies together with great value.” Nurit Bank,
Recent Approbation From Nurit Bank, Curator Of The Hechal Shlomo Museum, Jerusalem
Bet Shemesh, Is - July 30th, 2013
I have been following, for many years now, the creative development of artist David B. Wolk. Wolk, who pursued his artistic training at the finest contemporary art schools in New York, combines artistic skill with innovative conceptual choices. While his artworks are founded on formal abstraction, it is the text that stands at their core. Thus is a new artistic genre created – one which may be described as Conceptual Abstraction. The texts selected by the artist are drawn from the classical Jewish sources, spanning ancient Talmudic texts through seventeenth-century Kabbalistic citations, to contemporary Jewish poetry, and even passages from the writings of recent sages. Particularly moving is his work, “The Main Request of the Wife”, based on a letter composed by one of the past century’s greatest rabbis. The textual selection is an integral part of the artwork, inspiring the choice o...
A New Art Form Kabbalistic Israeli Artist David Baruch Wolk
Bet Shemesh, Is - July 30th, 2013
Every once in a while there is an artist born whose work blazes a path beyond the ordinary, beyond the expected, to a new frontier that promises to take us beyond our expectations to our aspirations. David Baruch Wolk is such an artist. Born in Detroit, Michigan in 1959, Wolk received his professional training at Amherst College graduating Magna Cum Laude in Fine Arts in 1981. He went on to garner an impressive list of advanced education credentials from the Caumsett School for Landscape Painting at Queen’s College, Boston University Museum School, the New York Studio School, Yale University and Oregon University. New Art Form But what is it that he does? What is it about his art that should make us all grasp -- we are in a generation that is developing a new art form? Wolk has perfected an art form that blends the delicate boundary of abstraction to the apparent concrete vision of w...
Bet Shemesh, Is - June 5th, 2012
by Roberta Carasso Ph.D. Elected Member of the Inernational Art Critics Association, Art Curator and Writer. the attached article appeared in the Jewish Press September 15, 2010. David B. Wolk: Painter of Eternal Jewish Truths in Modern Abstractions In David B. Wolk's paintings holy Hebrew letters and shapes of varying sizes, colors and lines sing and dance before our eyes to rhythms of modern abstraction and ancient calligraphy. Wolk is a master painter, scribe and Torah Jew living in Israel. Through intense life challenges, he came to the realization that using Hebrew words as his subject, composed of individual letters, will tell a truer story about reality than anything else he could paint. Rather than, as other artists, depict nature, Wolk moves closer to what is real by painting the very words that bring nature into being - the holy utterances recorded in Genesis. ...
A Reality That Expresses The Culture Of Our Times
Bet Shemesh, Is - June 5th, 2012
Art, is defined as, the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power: And what does that expression create? At its most fundamental level, good art is an effective combination of concept, vision and mastery of medium (the ability to get the point across). However, artwork extends beyond the technique: contrast, color, harmony, perspective, it is deeper than all of these essential skills. Artwork is a reflection of culture: of political tension, of societal structure and social norms, economic systems; and religiosity. Artwork tells us a story and beckons us to engage in an emotional connection to what the artist is trying to relate to the viewer. Without this emotional substance, it could be just another pretty painting, wi...
