Golem Magic
Article in the Exhibition Catalogue GOLEM
Martina Lüdicke
How can a ritual of Jewish mysticism—the creation of an artificial being and bringing it to life with the help of letters of the name of God—be incorporated into a work of art? Artist David Aronson accomplished something unique in his painting. He gives artistic form to the transcendence, dynamism, and intensity of the mystical experience without resolving its enigmas and secrets.
The medieval Kabbalists created golems in an attempt to get closer to God. The process, and not the creation itself, was the focus of the act. Aronson breathed life into this image in a crowded room full of accouterments. A figure, probably Rabbi Loew, hovers enraptured over a recumbent golem. Three magician’s assistants are wearing amulets around their necks. In front of them lies the contorted golem in a box; the process of the creative act can still be clearly seen in the figure. The feet appear grotesquely enlarged. A parrot spreads its colorful wings above the golem. Is this an allusion to the ability of the parrot to imitate language, the essence of humanness? Or to the dove as a symbol of divine presence in Christian art? All human figures in this scene are framed by coded messages: sketches, letter fragments, a torn drawing of a bird. The scene is extremely condensed; just one moment in which the golem is alive. There is special significance to the painting’s technique. Encaustic is an ancient method of painting with a mixture of color pigments and hot wax, in which a peculiar illumination and a three-dimensional texture unfolds, allowing the viewer to visualize the processual nature of the work. On the potential of encaustic, Aronson himself says, “I found a very meaningful fusion of technique and message. The luminous, waxy colors offered a deeply religious aspect to the proceedings, like a stained glass window in a church that thrusts you into a mood or state of mind.”1 The creative act is linked with the practice of medieval Kabbalists. A golem appears. From letter permutations or brush strokes.
Martina Lüdicke majored in Literature Studies and works at the Jewish Museum Berlin, where she has curated the exhibitions Chrismukka, How German is It?, The Whole Truth... Everything you always wanted to know about Jews and Snip it! Stances on Ritual Circumcision.
Translated by Allison Brown
- David Aronson, Paintings, Drawings, Sculpture (Boston: Pucker Art Publications, 2004), 13. ↩︎
Citation recommendation:
Martina Lüdicke (2016), Golem Magic. Article in the Exhibition Catalogue GOLEM.
URL: www.jmberlin.de/en/node/4687
Online Edition of the GOLEM Catalog: Table of Contents
- The Golem in Berlin: Introduction by Peter Schäfer
- Chapter 1
- The Golem Lives On: Introduction by Martina Lüdicke
- My Light is Your Life: Text by Anna Dorothea Ludewig
- Avatars: Text by Louisa Hall
- The Secret of the Cyborgs: Text by Caspar Battegay
- Chapter 2
- Jewish Mysticism: Introduction by Emily D. Bilski
- Current page: Golem Magic: Text by Martina Lüdicke
- Golem, Language, Dada: Text by Emily D. Bilski
- Chapter 3
- Transformation: Introduction by Emily D. Bilski
- Jana Sterbak’s Golem: Objects as Sensations: Text by Rita Kersting
- Crisálidas (Chrysalises): Text by Jorge Gil
- Rituals: Text by Christopher Lyon
- A Golem that Ended Well: Text by Emily D. Bilski
- On the Golem: Text by David Musgrave
- Louise Fishman’s Paint Golem: Text by Emily D. Bilski
- Chapter 4
- Legendary Prague: Introduction by Martina Lüdicke
- Golem Variations: Text by Peter Schäfer
- Rabbi Loew’s Well-Deserved Bath: Text by Harold Gabriel Weisz Carrington
- Chapter 5
- Horror and Magic: Introduction by Martina Lüdicke
- Golem and a Little Girl: Text by Helene Wecker
- The Golem with a Group of Children Dancing: Text by Karin Harrasser
- Bringing the Film Set To Life: Text by Anna-Carolin Augustin
- Golem and Mirjam: Text by Cathy S. Gelbin
- Chapter 6
- Out of Control: Introduction by Emily D. Bilski
- Golem—Man Awakened with Glowing Hammer: Text by Arno Pařík
- Dangerous Symbols: Text by Charlotta Kotik
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Text by Marc Estrin
- Chapter 7
- Doppelgänger: Introduction by Martina Lüdicke
- From the Golem-Talmud: Text by Joshua Cohen
- Kitaj’s Art Golem: Text by Tracy Bartley
- The Golem as Techno-Imagination?: Text by Cosima Wagner
- See also
- GOLEM: 2016, online edition with selected texts of the exhibition catalog
- GOLEM: 2016, complete printed edition of the exhibition catalog, in German
- Golem. From Mysticism to Minecraft: Online Feature, 2016
- GOLEM: Exhibition, 23 Sep 2016 to 29 Jan 2017