The Art of Jewish Food

Artist’s Statement: For my confirmation project, I decided to research Jewish artists and complete a series of paintings of Jewish food emulating the unique styles of those artists. I chose food as the subject of my paintings because I feel that sharing food is an important part of social interactions in Judaism. Food brings people together in celebration and across differences, and has been an integral part of Jewish holidays and events that are close to my heart. In addition to learning about the importance of food in Jewish tradition, my research helped me learn more about the history and legacy of several Jewish artists. The pomegranates are done in the style of Marc Chagall, the bagels and lox in the style of Nachum Gutman, and the latkes in my own style! My decision to complete this final painting in my own personal style came from my hope to be able to carry on the tradition of Jewish artwork that has been passed down to me from artists in my own family, like my great-grandfather on my mom’s side and my Baubie on my dad’s side, as well as artists like Marc Chagall, Nachum Gutman, and the countless others whose work lovingly portrays Jewish traditions, celebrations, history, family, and daily life.