jerusalem names in praise - ya'akov boussidan
DESCRIPTION
Jerusalem – Names in Praise is an expression of the living ties between the people of Israel and its spiritual capital, Jerusalem. The book reveals three hundred and sixty six names given to the city by Jewish people, contemporary poets, and other believers who have found their roots in Jerusalem.TRANSCRIPT
Y a ’ a k o v B o u s s i d a n
J E R U S A L E M N A M E S I N P R A I S E
J e r u s a l e m – N a m e s i n P r a i s e i s a n
e x p r e s s i o n o f t h e l i v i n g t i e s
b e t w e e n t h e p e o p l e o f I s r a e l a n d
i t s s p i r i t u a l c a p i t a l , J e r u s a l e m .
T h e b o o k r e v e a l s t h r e e h u n d r e d
a n d s i x t y s i x n a m e s g i v e n t o t h e
c i t y b y J e w i s h p e o p l e ,
c o n t e m p o r a r y p o e t s , a n d o t h e r
b e l i e v e r s w h o h a v e f o u n d t h e i r
r o o t s i n J e r u s a l e m .
In the course of history, many
cities have acquired new names,
each name comes to erase its
earlier identity. In this way
conquerors hoped to leave their
mark for eternity .
Not so for Jerusalem. Unlike other
cities, she has had a succession of
names, strung like beads on a kind
of magic cord. She appears like a
multifaceted gem, a precious
stone splintered by a hammer into
a myriad of different faces .
That is what I found when I came
seeking the known names of
Jerusalem: a brilliant diamond.
J e r u s a l e m - N a m e s i n P r a i s e t o o k e i g h t
y e a r s t o c o m p i l e . T h e s i l k s c r e e n
p r i n t i n g e n d u r e d e i g h t e e n m o n t h s . I n
o r d e r t o e n s u r e t h e q u a l i t y o f t h e
p r o d u c t i o n , t h e p a p e r i s f o r m u l a t e d
b y t h e a r t i s t , e s p e c i a l l y f o r t h i s
b o o k . B o u s s i d a n w a s a c t i v e l y
i n v o l v e d w i t h t h e p r i n t i n g ; h e h a s
p r e p a r e d t h e c o l o u r s d a i l y a n d
g u i d e d t h e e x c e l l e n t p r i n t i n g t e a m .
S o m e o f t h e i m a g e s c o n t a i n u p t o
f o r t y c o l o u r s . E a c h p r i n t h a s b e e n
c h e c k e d a n d a p p r o v e d b y t h e a r t i s t .
“ Y a ' a k o v B o u s s i d a n h a s b e e n e n g a g e d
i n t h e a r t i s t i c d e s i g n o f H e b r e w b o o k s
f o r m a n y y e a r s . H i s p e r s o n a l
i n t e r p r e t a t i o n s , w h i c h g o b e y o n d
i l l u s t r a t i o n , a r e b a s e d o n p r o f o u n d
r e s e a r c h i n t o t h e J e w i s h c o n t e n t o f t h e
b o o k i t s e l f …
B o u s s i d a n d e v o t e s s p e c i a l a t t e n t i o n t o
t h e H e b r e w l e t t e r , w h i c h f o r m s a n
o r g a n i c p a r t o f h i s w o r k . H i s o r i g i n a l
w o r k i s a l w a y s e x e c u t e d w i t h
p e r f e c t i o n ; c a r e f u l a t t e n t i o n i s g i v e n
t o e v e r y e l e m e n t i n c l u d i n g t h e q u a l i t y
o f p a p e r a n d p r i n t i n g . ”
J u r o r s o f t h e J e s s e l s o n P r i z e f o r J u d a i c a ,
1 9 9 0 :
D r . I r i s F i s h o f ( C h a i r m a n ) , I z z i k a G a o n ,
M e n a h e m B e r m a n
Jerusalem is a place.
For some, she is a matrix, a
spiritual haven ;
for others, she is the
foundation and centre of
the world ..…
Jerusalem is a source of
vision, a testimony to love,
and to eternal hope, both
for the Jewish people and
the world :
“For my house will be
called a house of prayer for
all the peoples”.
King David and his Lyre
Consciously or unconsciously, we adapt to the great variety of her lights and are
absorbed by our experience of her, which in turn transforms us.
Jerusalem Toward Sunset
“… Boussidan’s painting of the praying angel is perhaps a new
form of iconography and reminds us in a sense of the
deepest rhythm of faith.
The originality of this composition is to lead the spectator, to look
upwards at the angel - representing Hope. This
angel could be anyone of us…”.
Prof. Rabbi Daniel Sperber
Angel Praying Towards Jerusalem
The Prophet Lamenting Jerusalem
“Jerusalem – Names in Praise” has
been launched at the Israel Museum,
Jerusalem in 2006, and by MP Louise
Ellman at the at the British Parliament
in November 2007.
The book has been recently
traanslated into Italian.
Ya’akov Boussidan is working these
days on a large-scale format of some
of the paintings from the book.
“…Boussidan knows well the
world of aesthetics and
magic...”
Yigal Zalmona,
Chief Curator-at-Large
The Israel Museum
Flag over Jerusalem
Ya’akov Boussidan is a painter, printer and calligrapher.
His Livres d’Artiste have been exhibited in many countries and may
be found in private collections and museums throughout the
world, among them the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the
Metropolitan in New York and the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.
Boussidan has received several awards, among them the Jesselson
Prize for Judaica from the Israel Museum.
©Ya'akov Boussidan 2012.yboussidan@gmail com
"..With him, the ancient art of calligraphy – in his
case of Hebrew lettering – has acquired a new
aesthetic vigour"
Arturo Schwarz, Art Historian, from Ya’akov
Boussidan: Modernity of the Classic, 2011
. - .w w w b o u s s i d a n y c o m