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After 10 years of research, 12 workshops in Poland, hundreds of...

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 02:53:30 -0400

After 10 years of research, 12 workshops in Poland, hundreds of working hands, and what seemed like millions of hours of mixing woad (and other colors..), WE FINISHED THE GWOZDZIEC CEILING PAINTING EXACTLY ON SCHEDULE!!

We went far and fast!

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 02:42:20 -0400

We went far and fast!

We have only a few days left. The coves are finished and the...

Sat, 11 Aug 2012 05:42:43 -0400

We have only a few days left. The coves are finished and the lantern is coming closer and closer to completion. For months we’ve honed our painting skills on flat, level, table height surfaces but painting the lantern in place is a whole new challenge. We’ve been spending whole days crouched up inside painting on vertical and overhead surfaces. We’re taking extra care not to let the paint drip or run, trying to not overload our brushes with paint and paying close attention to what is below us.

The other big challenge has been the space constraints. Only four people can work on the lantern at one time, yet the total square footage of painting surface is roughly equivalent to an entire dome. A dome will usually take nearly our entire group of leaders and students two weeks to complete. Now just two days from the end of our workshop we’re on schedule and everything is looking beautiful!

The Lantern

Thu, 09 Aug 2012 15:16:28 -0400

What we refer to as the lantern is the crowning cupola of the Gwozdzeic synagogue ceiling where the baroque interior curvature of the ceiling resolves at its highest point. Added in the early 1700’s, to a barrel vaulted ceiling, it was part of a renovation that inspired a stylistic trend that informed wooden synagogue architecture across the entirety of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth (Hubka pg. 57). Now in our final workshop in Wroclaw it remains as the last unfinished element in our ceiling.

Above: Images and studies of the lanterns structure and interior painting.

Those familiar with Ottoman and Middle Eastern art and imagery might find the designs in the lantern surprising. The main design feature, which we refer to as the arabesque, has Ottoman roots. Below you can see a similar design in the repeating sections of an Ottoman tent as well as a similar design feature on wall tiles in the Topkapi palace in Istanbul. Polish Jews were not isolated. Communities such as Gwozdziec maintained cultural connections with Sephardic Jewish communities and were familiar with popular Ottoman motifs. The specific tent pictured below would have also been well known to Poles because of its existence as a symbol of Polish unity and nationalism after Poles captured it in Vienna from invading Turkish forces in 1683 (Hubka pg.37).

Above: Ottoman tent captured in Vienna.

Above: Breier’s color study of the lantern next to tiles from the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul

Hubka, Thomas C. Resplendent Synagogue. Brandeis University Press. Lebanon NH. 2003

Photo

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 05:11:56 -0400

Matt and Jean painting flowers for the time lapse camera

Emily gessoing the inside of the lantern

Ariel painting Hebrew text

Monica practicing flowers on a test panel

Maia cool light base-ing flowers on the Cove panels

Martyna practicing flowers

Hannah painting arabesque borders

Marty painting cove flowers

A Book Recommendation: Go for Gombrich!

Sun, 05 Aug 2012 11:58:16 -0400

Sense of Order. A Study in the Psychology of Decorative Art (1979) is a book by E.H. Gombrich, published after he presented his investigations at Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, as part of a programme called Wrightsman Lectures. Gombrich was an Austrian art historian, probably one of the most significant figures of this discipline in 20th Century Europe. This book is a very broad and complex analysis of human’s natural tendency to search for regularity within disordered surroundings and, as a consequence, eagerness to create patterns, which later become ornaments. Gombrich performs a profound analysis focusing on aesthetic preferences present in various cultures, general aspects of the subconscious, physical perception and also the influence of constant interaction of nature and civilization on the forms of art.

Decorative art has existed since always but has not always been considered important. Centuries have passed before it was finally noticed not only as a valuable source of aesthetic heritage but also as a universe of symbols. Nowadays it is hard to believe that the craftsmanship of ornamental art used to be undervalued, understood just as the background to something greater. Today ornamental art is thought to be not only a discipline that requires skills of higher level but also deeper understanding of symbols and their meanings.

I recommend this publication by Gombrich to anyone who would like to investigate wider context of decorative art. Author traverses multiple locations, periods and cultures finding common paths that justify our need for organized beauty.

Sense of Order. A Study in the Psychology of Decorative Art was published in English by Phaidon Press Ltd, London.

Since I didn’t manage to access an English version of the book, I decided to provide extract taken from polish edition (Universitas, Kraków 2009), translated by myself.

We shall refrain from the temptation of treating overall perception [of decorations] as an act of simply viewing without appropriate intensification of attention. Thanks to the rule of graduated complexity, we are able to absorb much more from the general character of decoration than we can actually analyze and describe. […] The ability and creativity of the decorations’ maker have an impact on more than just our conscious perception. A master of crafts knows from his own experience, that we can feel, without any specific investigations, this extremely significant difference between disorder and abundance. What is certain is the fact that when confronting all the orders within orders, our tendency to verify regularity without the feeling of losing any part of an infinite and inexhaustible variety, switches on. This process may demand our acceptance of this form of art, which used to be claimed to be of little importance. History shows that some great traditions of ornamental styles cross the borders of pure decoration and are actually able to transform overflow into a whole and undefined meaning- into a mystery.

-Post by Olga Micińska, a volunteer from Warsaw who has participated in both the Timber Framing workshop and the final painting workshop here in Wroclaw. Olga graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw with a Masters degree in Sculpture.

Laura with Maria Piechotka at the Gwozdziec Reconstruction...

Sun, 05 Aug 2012 10:39:44 -0400

Laura with Maria Piechotka at the Gwozdziec Reconstruction opening in Warsaw.

Photo

Fri, 03 Aug 2012 09:47:24 -0400

Nick, by Matt Jeffs

Rick, by Matt Jeffs

Yari, by Mat Jeffs

Car and Yari, by Nick Farnham

Emily, by Nick Farnham

Rick, by Nick Farnham

With the arrival of the Stigliano tribe in Szczebrzeszyn, an...

Fri, 03 Aug 2012 09:40:00 -0400

Wiktoria, by Vanessa Varjian

Cary, by Vanessa Varjian

Evelyn, by Chuck Stigliano

Rick, by Chuck Stigliano

Savana, by Emily White

Emily, by Jason Loik

Stephanie, by Jason Loik

Susannah, by Jason Loik

Evelyn, by Jun Zhao

Jun, by Matt Jeffs

With the arrival of the Stigliano tribe in Szczebrzeszyn, an informal gathering of after-dinner “Sketching with Friends” began. We took turns modelling for each other. Here you can see some of the resulting attempts to capture the likenesses on paper.

-Matt Jeffs

Wrocław

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 12:10:07 -0400

The final workshop has begun! It is taking place in the city of Wrocław in western Poland. The group is happy to be back here, having painted in Wrocław for three weeks last summer. The White Stork Synagogue is a beautiful place to work, and a perfect setting for the documentary film of the Gwozdziec reconstruction project, produced by Trillium Studios, which is currently being shot (thanks to many wonderful Kickstarter donors)!

The Synagogue was built originally in 1829, designed by the well-known Prussian architect Karl Ferdinand Langhans. It is three stories high with two interior balconies, previously used as the women’s galleries, overlooking the main prayer hall. The White Stork Synagogue, named for an inn that previously existed at the site, was not completely destroyed by the Nazis during the war. Although the interior was ruined during Kristallnacht, the building structure survived, and was used by the Jewish population for a time after the war. After many Jewish people were forced to leave Wrocław by the communist anti-Semitic campaign in 1968, the building continued to fall into disrepair. Finally, in 1996, the Synagogue was returned to the Wrocław Jewish population. At this point, renovations began which were later finished under the support and direction of the Bente Kahan Foundation. It is currently an active synagogue, concert venue and cultural center.

Aside from final details on panels that were painted in previous workshops, two main features of the ceiling remain to be completed in this workshop. Two more coves, just like the ones we developed and painted in Sejny, will be finished here. The lantern, which makes up the very top of the ceiling structure will also be painted. The lantern presents a unique challenge as it will remain assembled while it is painted.

Group photo in Szczebrzeszyn with the south dome and two...

Tue, 31 Jul 2012 09:12:07 -0400

Group photo in Szczebrzeszyn with the south dome and two triangles.

We are very sad to say goodbye to the group 4 participants, lead...

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 05:39:56 -0400

Group 4 in Warsaw

Helena

Jun painting kickstarter postcards

Marta

Stephanie

Sara

Emily

We are very sad to say goodbye to the group 4 participants, lead by Chuck and Stephanie Stigliano. We had a great time working with these guys in Szczebrzeszyn! They left this morning for Krakow, where they will spend a few days before flying home. The painting leaders are putting finishing touches on the south dome panels before moving to Wroclaw for the final workshop!!

Last Thursday, our entire group (35 people!) loaded into a bus...

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 06:21:00 -0400

Our group with Maria Piechotka

Painting leaders

Rick and Laura

Presenting the lion to Maria Piechotka

Arkadia

Gwozdziec Model

Savana with her medallion

Last Thursday, our entire group (35 people!) loaded into a bus and headed to the opening of the Gwozdziec Reconstruction exhibition in the Warsaw Royal Castle. Dome and Zodiac panels that were completed last summer, along with a model of the synagogue, were on display in the Castle’s Kubciki Arcades, where they will be until July 31st. They look beautiful and it was wonderful to be there as they were presented to the public for the first time. Many people attended the opening, among them the director of the Royal Castle, the director of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews, ambassadors to Poland from the United States, Israel and Canada, and the Oscar winning Polish film director Andrzej Wajda. A very special guest was Maria Piechotka, who, along with her husband Kazimierz, wrote Heaven’s Gate: Wooden Synagogues in the Territory of the Former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. We refer to Maria and Kazimierz Piachotka as the mother and father of this project; the research presented in their writings is a compilation of the information about Wooden Synagogues that was gathered before the second World War by the Warsaw Technological Institute. Together, they are largely responsible for the survival of knowledge regarding this specific architectural tradition. It was an honor to present Maria with a panel, painted by Emily White, of a lion from the lower east wall.

The Necklace

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 09:46:14 -0400

My name hangs
like a pendant
in the necklace of generations.
Link after link of h & n
Helena is Hannah is Hebrew for Grace
threaded through slavic cities
washed anew in the mikvah
to shine, a red squall between
my mother’s legs.
A name is heavy to carry
down the wide
hopeful avenue of tomorrow
and light, after so many repetitions
so many prayers.

It dodges
the fluid borders
of seven countries,
collects the patina
of a Polish song,
“The Lovely Helena”
is whistled
on the corner,
hands in pockets.
In dangerous times
it is a hiding
place of a name.

Burn a hole in the map of Warsaw
look through the ash circle
you cannot see
the flamed soul
of Hannah
my grandmother,
wearing her
grandmother’s name
singing my name to me.

Everyday I cast
off her hungry voice
answer to my
name, bear
my light
ablaze in the eye.
My name is heave to carry,
and light,
after so many repetitions
so many prayers.

-Helena Lipstadt
October 5th 2010

The Necklace refers to the Jewish tradition of naming a child in honor of a deceased relative.

Helena Lipstadt is the author of two poetry chapbooks “Leave Me Signs” and “If My Heart Were a Desert.” She is named after both of her grandmothers, Hannah and Adel.

Currently, she is joining our group for the painting workshop in Szczebrzeszyn. A few days ago, she shared this poem with us during our morning gathering.

Traditional Methods: Paint mixing

Sun, 22 Jul 2012 08:17:52 -0400

The method of mixing paint for the Gwozdziec Synagogue ceiling is as traditional as the synagogue itself. Since there were no tubes of paint, all the paint was made by hand. As many students flow in and out of different workshops we are all taught the traditional methods. Learning the process is interesting, fun and very rewarding at the end. After completing the process of mixing the pigments and mixing paint, everyone has a new found appreciation for the value of the paint and the entire project.

Pigments

The process of mixing paint from start to finish is very precise in all the measurements and techniques. For any color that needs to be made there is a recipe that has been determined through studies over the last 10 years the project has been running. The process begins with measuring out how much of each pigment is required for the color. Measuring is a very careful task because the pigment must be as even and level as possible to ensure consistent colors are being made. Once all the pigments are measured out, the blending process begins with using a palette knife to mix together the dry pigments. After the colors are blended, water is added and the pigments get ground down with a muller on glass. Grinding is a crucial part of creating paint. It ensures that all the particles are broken down and blended together. The ideal consistency to have when mixing the pigments is tooth-paste like. The grinding process is usually gone through twice before the pigment is completed and then added to dish that holds that color.

Paint ground with a muller

Smoothing out the consistency of the paint

To create the paint, the pigment must be added to the rabbit skin glue, the traditional glue that was originally used which allowed the paint to stick to the boards. The rabbit skin glue is made from pellets that soak in water over night and then are heated to a warm bath temperature. Each color has a different ratio of pigment to glue that has been determined through the hard work of Rick, Laura and the painting leaders. By following the ratio and thoroughly mixing the glue and pigment you are ready to paint!

-Post by Emma Hauer, a student at Massachusetts College of Art.

Roztocze National Park

Sat, 21 Jul 2012 04:12:43 -0400

The fourth workshop of the 2012 Gwozdziec Synagogue ceiling painting project is underway in a section of Poland known as the Lublin Uplands. This region of South Eastern Poland is characterized by gently rolling farmlands interspersed by large tracts of woodlands. The survival of much of the remaining natural beauty of this area can trace its roots back to 1589 when the founder of Zamosc, Jan Zamoyski created an enclosed game reserve where the indigenous species enjoyed life relatively free of human intervention. The area remained a reserve for over 350 years. In 1974 a National Park was created that presently covers over 32 square miles including many towns and villages.

The backbone of this area consists of limestone deposits divided by valleys filled with post glacial sands, it lies along the borders of the continental divisions defined by the sediments of the older Eastern European platform meeting the younger Western Europe formations. Still geologically active, it is rising by nearly 2mm per year.

The limestone perhaps plays an important part in the unique ecological diversity of the Roztocze Park. Over 750 species of vascular plants make up the vegetation covering the hills and valleys. Dominant plants include fir, spruce, pine, beech, oak and linden. Some of the largest Fir trees in Poland are to be found here as well as over 400 “nature monument” trees. The lessor flora are represented by hundreds of species of wild flowers, mosses and grasses filling a wide variety of biological niches. The animal kingdom is no less represented. Polish ponies have been reinstated in the park, grey wolves, red fox, Eurasian badger, wild boar and two species of deer abound, beaver have been reintroduced and there are around 190 species of birds.

Farmland in the Roztocze national park

Our own experiences in the park were highlighted by walks along meandering streams, a visit to a small skansen (open air ethnographic museum) and a very relaxing kayak trip down a small river running through lush meadows, interrupted only by a stop at a small riverside café offering piwo (cold Polish beer) and kielbasa. A back road led us past a wonderful yard spilling over with folk art sculptures of deer, storks and Jesus figures. The ensuing conversation with no common language made for a very entertaining afternoon hosted by an entire family of multiple generations.

Carving above a door in the Skansen

Traditional thatched roof wooden house from East Central Poland

Folk art critter

Handshouse olympic kayaking team

-Post by Jim Kricker

Before the Gwozdziec Synagogue Replication Project made its...

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 18:25:39 -0400

Analyzing Hebrew text on the West Dome

Map of Hebrew Inscriptions

Case and Ariel make a few touch-ups.

Before the Gwozdziec Synagogue Replication Project made its debut this week at the Royal Castle, Rick, Laura, Ariel, and Case made the five hour drive from Zamosc to Warsaw to take a last minute look at the Hebrew text. They met with Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblet, Program Director of the core exhibition of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews, Rabbi Michael Shudrich, Chief Rabbi of Poland, and Tomek Krakowski to discuss the Hebrew inscriptions, analyze the accuracy of the replication, and make a few minor touch-ups. Part of this process was deciphering the stylistic choices the original Gwozdziec painters made, and subtlties within the Hebrew alphabet. At the end of the day, after elongating some letters, shifting a few letters, and including other nuances, the authenticity and accuracy of the caligraphy was elevated.

Photos from the painting workshop in Szczebrzeszyn

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 17:13:00 -0400

Nick, Emma, Emily and Jun

Paint mixing demonstration

Cheryl

Alex

Natalia

Photos from the painting workshop in Szczebrzeszyn

Review of the exhibition in the Warsaw Royal Castle

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 17:16:55 -0400

Review of the exhibition in the Warsaw Royal Castle :

This Thursday, we will travel to Warsaw to attend the opening of an exhibition of completed Gwozdziec Reconstruction panels in the Royal Castle. Two Domes and Zodiac panels that were painted during the workshops last summer will be on display over the next two weeks. Check out this review from JewishJournal.com!

Group picture from Kazimierz Dolny with the East Dome and 2...

Sun, 15 Jul 2012 08:49:06 -0400

Group picture from Kazimierz Dolny with the East Dome and 2 triangles!