Josef Farhi
"Sabbath Prayers"
This artwork displays the Vayachulu (ויכלו) verses, which form the opening section of the Friday Night Kiddush (the sanctification blessing over wine chanted at the start of the Shabbat evening meal)
This art is:
- New
- Framed in a gold frame
- Double matted in white & black
- Hand signed
- Mixed Media Collage
- Framed in the USA
- Framed Size: 28" x 34"
- Image Size: 21" x 27"
- Interested in different framing? Contact us!
- Ready to hang hardware included
- The artwork features several stylized Hebrew letters and foundational liturgical phrases integrated directly into the design. Here is the breakdown of the specific Hebrew text visible in the different layers:1. The Blessing Openers (Top Left & Center)
- The Blue Plaque: Underneath the purple menorah cutout is a dark blue oblong shape that reads ברוך אתה (Baruch Ata), which translates to "Blessed are You...". This is the universal opening formula for almost all Jewish blessings and prayers.
- The Bottom-Left Oval: The dark purple/blue medallion on the bottom left contains a heavily stylized acronym or abbreviation of the divine name formula often used in blessings, emphasizing letters like א (Aleph), י (Yod), and ה (Heh)2. The Torah Scrolls (Center Frame)
- The Center Scroll: The white mantle is inscribed with the word תורה (Torah).
- The Crown Symbols: The surrounding scrolls feature the Hebrew letters כ (Kaf) and ת (Tav), which stand for כתר תורה (Keter Torah), meaning the "Crown of the Torah.
- 3. The Liturgical Blessing (Bottom Right)
- The Textured Cloud Shape: The shimmering teal, purple, and blue shape underneath the Torah scrolls contains a highly embossed rendering of a traditional blessing. This section outlines parts of the Shabbat or holiday candle-lighting blessing: ...אשר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו... (...Asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu...), which translates to "...Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us...
Josef (Joseph) Farhi
Born in 1931, Farhi started to play the violin at the age of seven. In his eleventh year, he was strongly attracted to painting, which imposed on him his way of life. He won scholarships and prizes. Graduated from the Tel-Aviv Art Institute and the Art Teachers Institute in Tel-Aviv, he moved to Paris where he studied at Academie Colarosse, Academie De La Grande Chaumiere, Academie Ranson, Atelier Andre Lhote. After a twelve year course of studies, his first exhibition took place in the famous Benezit Gallery in Paris in 1957 with the preface written by Robert Vrinat, art critic of the Paris Journal Le Figaro. The critical response to this exhibition established Farhi’s place as one of the outstanding individual artists of our time.
The legendary Waldemar George, considered to be one of the most influential and important art critics of the twentieth century, did the preface for Farhi’s second one-man exhibition. Many more prefaces for Farhi one-man shows were written in different countries by various art critics. Farhi became the creator and the leader and the leader o the concrete Lyrical Art Movement in Paris. This movement has inspired many painters and quite a few have been influenced by him.The noble inspiration of his art burns before us in each of his works. Those works kindle us the deepest emotion, fill our souls with a truly mystical experience. Farhi has removed himself beyond space and time, his art is full of holiness of truly timeless character.
The next big Farhi influence in art was the creation of the Farhigraph in 1963. In it’s development, the Farhigraph passed through a metamorphosis of creations, from the Concrete Lyrical Farhigraph to the Kinetic Farhigraph.
Farhi did a very impressive number of one-man shows and many international group exhibitions. Farhi one-man shows in the United States have been under the patronage of the Israeli Embassy. In Israel, his one-man exhibitions have been under the patronage of the French Embassy. In Paris his exhibitions were under the patronage of Maison des Intellectuels. Farhi’s paintings have been exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art, (Paris), Museum Bezalel, (Jerusalem), Museum Tel—Aviv, (Tel-Aviv), Museum of Jewish Art, (Paris), Museum of Modern Art, (Haifa), The Monte Carlo Palace, (Monte Carlo), Museum of Modern Art, (Stockholm), Museum of Modern Art,( at-Yam), Maison Internationale des Intellectuels, (Nice), and in many other galleries. Retrospective of Farhi works took place in Switzerland and Israel.Farhi works are in many important public and private collections in the United States, France, England, Monaco, Israel, Canada, Belgium, Japan, West Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and South America.Farhi has been awarded the Paris Decoration of Honor.