Torah Artwork

Torah art has become a well-known genre in the Jewish world and indeed comprises the collections of many Jewish museums and private collections throughout the world. The category of Torah painting often has traditional themes, such as wedding canopies (Chuppas), dancing Chassidim, or portraits of synagogue services, holy rabbis, and young men learning Torah (especially the Babylonian Talmud). Yet these traditional forms of traditional Torah art and Torah painting have been evolving for the past century, as Torah painting has found itself influenced by artistic techniques in the broader world as well.

Nonetheless, Torah art and Torah painting always maintain a basic focus on ancient themes and holiness, and there are laws (halachos) about what representations (they must be modest, for example) and what media are permitted (realistic sculptures of human figure violates a fundamental Torah principle). Yet that leaves a lot of room for creativity, and increasingly Jewish artists are taking Torah artwork to new levels as Jewish life and Jewish artwork thrive in Israel.