Dalia and I are in Israel. We just took a rare day off from work and went to see an exhibit at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. The main exhibit was “Human Nature,” by Tzadok Ben David. It included “Blackfield” and some other large pieces.

The work’s impact is hard to describe. It consists of many small and large natural shapes–figures of people, animals, and plants and trees–ranging from a few inches to 15 feet in height. Most are cut out of flat metal–different types of steel and aluminum–with a plasma cutting torch. (The link above is actually to a slide show; click  on the small right arrow beneath it to “walk through” the exhibit.)

When you come into the exhibit room, and realize what you are looking it, it is stunning. Thousands of tiny cutouts of plants, like Audubon drawings in their precision, all black. As you walk around to the other side, first you see all the little cutouts in profile, so that they are nothing more than black sticks. Then when you reach the back, you are amazed to see a rainbow of color! All the backs of the cutouts are painted in bright colors.

What can a book writer learn from this exhibit? Here are some of my thoughts:

  • The viewers are fascinated by a lot of realistic detail. So are readers of a non-fiction back. Share a lot of facts.
  • The presentation is unusual; one does not know what to expect. Think of appropriate ways to surprise your reader, to bring them depth and color in striking ways.
  • The shapes–both of the tiny plants, and the other sculptures–are taken from life: People; plants; trees. No abstract geometry. People are interested in real things, presented interestingly, from different angles.

Another, smaller, exhibit showed paintings by Aram Gershuni, a self-taught artist who paints with photographic realism–see some of his work on his website.

His paintings are fascinating. They are like large photographs–yet, not. He doesn’t sign them, but I get the feeling that even this brief exposure would enable me to recognize his work.

Some book-writing thoughts I had as I enjoyed his paintings:

  • I felt his love for his subjects in all of his paintings. Does your love for your subject come across in your writing?
  • His portraits of his family members might be considered unforgivingly realistic; there is no attempt to mask or soften blemishes or wrinkles. Yet they come across as having integrity, as having character, as having a life journey that would be interesting to know more about, even if it has difficult and painful passages. I want my writing to have those characteristics.
  • As photographic as Gershuni’s style is, there is no doubt of its subjectivity. He chose the people and other subjects, and how to present them. These representations are Gershuni’s representations, and they make no claim to being anything else. Do I always write with conviction, with a willingness to give my honest opinion and stand behind it?

I could have gladly spent hours more there, but I needed to get back to work. And write this for you.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to comment.

Filed under: book writing

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