If one was to look at the painting above, it could easily be deciphered as a painting of a sunset. No more thought would be needed to label a painting. But with this art, there is more than the eye can see. Return Ye Children of Men, created by Judy Rey Wasserman, has a detailed story in every stroke of its creation. By taking a deeper look into the creation and meaning of this painting, one will discover the rhetorical appeals and logical fallacies that lie beneath the typical label of a painting.
Wasserman’s form of art is different than most artists. Creating this piece using Post Conceptual art theory of UnGraven Image, Wasserman founded this new art form. She uses it to create wonderful works of art. Ungraven Image is a complex art system using strokes of the Hebrew Alphabet. According to the UnGraven Image website copyright 2005, “in UnGraven Image paintings the 22 Hebrew letters, the permutations that the yuds and vavs become symbolize the intrinsic elemental waves. Since all the letters can be made of yuds and vavs the paintings may also be said to be based on a binary system.” (Wasserman)
A binary system means that there is a comparison between the spiritual world and the scientific world. Also, the Hebrew letters also represent numbers, giving the painting a numerical basis. (Wasserman) The binary system of the Hebrew language is very hard to understand because what you may think is text may be number. One can see the use of either-or argument to create a logical fallacy because one may automatically believe what they are seeing is text. They may just be seeing numbers put together to form sequences, it is hard to always decipher, which can lead to some ambiguity about what we are actually reading. Is it text or merely a sequence of numbers, and how can we ultimately tell the difference if all letters of the Hebrew alphabet represent a number? The answer is simple: one has to trust that what they are reading is the actual word of God and that the Hebrew letters that make up the text of Genesis are really words, not number sequences. When looking at the painting, it is hard to see the letters. They are overlapped and glossed together to create a picture. One may be looking at a sunset, but they are actually looking at the script from the Bible. In Wasserman’s series of Sunrise/Sunset, all of her pieces are made of script from the chapter of Genesis. In this painting, the first two chapters are used, describing how God created the earth.
The earth was created by the spoken word of God, which was recorded in Hebrew letters. Quoted from Wasserman herself, “I work to depict what we don't see - the underlying reality of the universe, which is both physical and scientific, yet has a spiritual genesis. The letters interweave, are glazed one over another, and tumble in jumble that adds up to an image. This references the tiny membranes, that link until they form into particles, then atoms, then energy and matter, etc.” The objective of the painting is to create something out of words, which is essentially how God created the universe, along with the scientific concepts of creation. This fundamentally creates an analogy simply because one can’t see the words in the painting, yet they know they are there but only because the author says that’s how she created it. In the case of God, no one actually heard his words because no one was there, yet people believe that the word of God created the earth. As mentioned before, the book of Genesis is the structure of the painting. The story of Genesis starts with the earth being void and blank. A synopsis of the creation from Stem Publishing states “The first four days, God brings light and order out of darkness and confusion: light, the first day; the expanse as a scene of heavenly power over the earth, the second day; then He divided what was formed and orderly, on the one hand, from the moving powerful but shapeless mass of waters, on the other, and then ornamented the ordered habitable scene with beauty and fruitfulness on the third. The symbols of directing power were set visibly in their places on the fourth.” Just as the book of bible tells people that God created the earth, Wasserman says she created this painting with words also. The use of pathos can be seen in the aspect of using religion to create the piece. The title of the work itself is a quote from Psalm 90:3 “You turn man back into dust, And say, “Return, O children of men.” For the very religious, seeing an artwork that is made of words from the Bible can give them a calm feeling, and a deep understanding of what is trying to be messaged. Many people who have some background of religion know the story of how God created the earth. Once people realize that this artwork is made of those words, their emotions change to appreciate the creation of the art. A small connection can be made to the painting just based on the small idea that there is religious intent in creating the piece, which is actually what Wasserman intends to do.
The other rhetorical appeal that can be examined is ethos. Wasserman establishes her credibility with the fact that she created the Post Conceptual art theory of Ungraven Image.
The unique style in which her artwork is made was invented by her. According to Wasserman’s website copyright 2008, “UnGraven Image art has its roots in movements such as Impressionism, Pointillism, Abstract Expressionism and Cubism, all of which strove to show another side of reality, which was not necessarily religious. The theories of Word art, Abstract expressionism and Minimalism further influenced and helped Judy Rey conceive the UnGraven Image theory and movement.” It is apparent that her artwork not only influences people’s emotions, it also influences art concepts that have been alive for many years. The first art form one may think of is Pointillism. It’s the use of several dots in one area to create a picture, which can tie into the concept of Ungraven because it is the same idea except using letters to create a picture. Impressionism can really be seen because of the use of light and the sun. Impressionism was a movement involving the idea of visual science and tampering with the effect of light. All of these concepts tie into this painting which is why it is so unique. Wasserman is a powerful artist and shows it through her ability to move people and ideas.At first glance, one would never guess how complex a simple painting could be. Every single stroke used to create this piece was thought out, and has a meaning. What makes Wasserman’s UnGraven Image art so effective and meaningful is that it is something no one has done before. She broke beyond the boundaries of normal artwork to give us a new movement; using texts and the particles that make up each stroke to create a painting. Wasserman’s artwork goes to show that you can’t really understand something until you take the time to find the deeper meaning.
Sources
Darby, J.N.. "Genesis." Synopsis. Stem Publishing Company. 16 Nov 2008
Wasserman, Judy Rey. "Artist's Bio." Post Conceptual Ungraven Image. 2005. 16 Nov 2008
Wasserman, Judy Rey. "Manifesto." Post Conceptual Ungraven Image. 2008. 16 Nov 2008
Wasserman, Judy Rey. "Genesis: The Sunset - Sunrise Series." Post Conceptual Ungraven Image. 2005. 16 Nov 2008
