Comments on: Chaim Soutine’s Carcass Paintings – Part 2

By: Jess

Jess — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 20:39:38 +0000

There is a fictionalized short story about Soutine. It is Roald Dahl’s story “Skin.” Just to warn you, it is no Charlie and the Chocolate Factory–the story’s gruesome and definitely not for young children! I read the short story for university. I didn’t know Soutine was a real figure until I read this post. Thanks!

By: Jay

Jay — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 20:42:44 +0000

Tree:

For many, the creation of art is seen as prideful, and therefore one of the seven deadly sins. However, a creative spirit would raise a tentative head in the preparation of fancy foodstuffs like chow-chow and the practice of fractur. among the Mennonite faiths. And let’s not forget distelfinks.

By: Tree Smith

Tree Smith — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:17:43 +0000

Hi Q, glad you like the article. I appreciate what you wrote about attending a Hasid service–sounds interesting!
Yes, one may find examples of Judaic art throughout history. However, Judaism is not just one way and my understanding is a prohibition against certain forms of art predominated for centuries.
When one compares how synogogues have been built and decorated historically to cathedrals, one sees the drastic difference. A comparison like this is very common in the academic world of art history.
Of course, plenty of Christian sects had or have the same decorating prohibitions, but maybe for different reasons.
More specifically, according to my research, friends of Soutine and Soutine himself, he most definitely was punished more than once for doing what was considered taboo.

By: Q

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 03:57:55 +0000

An enjoyable article, Tree. I know almost nothing about art or Soutine, so not only the fine meanings but the large meanings are unfortunately lost on me of these pieces, but I would offer a comment about Hasidism, though I am not one myself. At the one Hasid service I attended, I marveled at the seeming rapture the Rabbi neared as the singing of the prayers reached culmination. It was my understanding that this was the radical change( joy and expression, as opposed to immersion in texts) that Baal Shem Tov brought to Jewish prayer. At the same time, there are numerous references to how strictly observant lifestyles were required to be. In my mind I am not rambling, but I apologize because to everyone else I might be, but I remember the reaction to Mapplethorpe when that exhibit came to Cincinnati, and whether that was truly “art”. There are numerous paintings and statues of Jewish religious figures dating to antiquity, so I would be surprised that it was the act of painting a rabbi that was a problem. Perhaps how Soutine chose to portray what he portrayed was, umm, ahead of his time.

By: Tree Smith

Tree Smith — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 16:52:14 +0000

Birgit, there is such a joy to Chagall’s works. How different from Soutine!
I’ll see if Netflix has that movie.

Jay, you’re the second person to recommend the Potok books to me so I take that as a hint from the universe to read them asap!

By: Jay

Jay — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 15:27:24 +0000

Tree:

In loose connection with this are two novels by Chaim Potok: “My Name is Asher Lev” and “The Gift of Asher Lev”. These depict the fraught relationship that exists between an artist and his Hasidic community.

By: Birgit Zipser

Birgit Zipser — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 13:48:07 +0000

In the movie Local Color, a painter rages against the idea that growing up in a ghetto is supposed to predispose an artist not to see and paint beauty. Chagall, born in a Jewish ghetto, painted fish motifs out ‘of respect for his father’ who did ‘hellish work, the work of a galley-slave’ to support his family.