Image of the Week: Nature Sh'viti
© D. Yael Bernhard
I've always loved mandalas. As a child, I remember cutting paper snowflakes, peering through kaleidoscopes, and pondering black-eyed susans. Later I came to appreciate the circular geometry of mandalas, and to marvel at the endlessly beautiful and varied forms they take in different cultures, from Aztec sun stones to Tibetan thangka paintings to the Hindu yantra. Rooted in nature's forms, mandalas manifest in everything from starbursts of light to the crown of a tree – yet they're equally a product of the human mind, and can be created in infinite ways. Thus, a mandala is a reflection of nature as mind, and mind as nature.
This particular mandala is a form of Judaic art known as a sh'viti. A sh'viti is a decorative image, usually incorporating calligraphy into a structure that speaks to the order of the cosmos – traditionally in the shape of a seven-branched candelabrum, but in recent times more varied forms such as a tree of life, a hamsa (hand with an eye in the palm), or a mandala. The sh'viti is placed on the wall for contemplation – a meditative map of human consciousness. My sh'viti is printed in a wall calendar – the image for January 2021 in my newly-published Jewish Eye 5781/2021 Calendar of Art.
The siddur (prayerbook) used in my synagogue has a black & white sh'viti at the beginning of the silent prayer known as the Amidah. The sh'viti is offered as a visual focal point. My local friends who are familiar with this sh'viti will recognize elements of it in the painting above. My version incorporates elements of nature with seven different Hebrew names of God. Between those names, hands bear the names of the matriarchs Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah; and the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. My intention is to bring to mind the stories in which these names appear – to connect ancient spiritual literature with the world of nature. Also shown are the "seven species" of the Bible: barley, wheat, figs, grapes, olives, dates, and pomegranates. To interweave language, stories, art, and nature into one harmonious whole is to create a symbol of a world that's complete.
Nature Sh'viti is painted in acrylic on thick hand-made watercolor paper with a texture like white stone. I loved painting on the coarsely pebbled surface. It measures 28" wide by 22" high. The original is for sale; please inquire if you're interested.
The Jewish Eye 5781/2021 Calendar of Art is available in my webstore ($18 including shipping) or on Amazon ($18 prime).
A good week to all!
D Yael Bernhard