As I dedicated myself to building a career and raising a family, my personal practice in the arts moved to the periphery for a time. However, as life became more established, I found my way back through photography, eventually having the privilege of seeing my work exhibited in several galleries over a period of years.

Since transitioning into semi-retirement eight years ago, I have come full circle to my first love, painting. In recent years, I have delved more deeply into the medium, formalizing my study through lessons and serious practice. Today, my work is often filtered through the rich lens of Jewish mysticism, reflecting a lifelong journey back to the canvas. What you see in my work today is the culmination of that journey, a sincere inscription of the joy I find in the creative process.

Thanks to the generosity of the artist, 100% of proceeds from art sales will benefit Arts + Ideas programming at the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater. If you are interested in purchasing a piece, please contact Hunter Thomas, Director of Arts + Ideas, at HThomas@UJFT.org or 757.965.6137. Artwork pickup will be arranged following the close of the exhibition, no later than September 15, 2026.

The Intersection of Abstract Expressionism and Kabbalah

By Ira Pearlman

The intersection of Abstract Expressionism and the Kabbalah—specifically the Sephirah of Tiferet—represents one of the most profound dialogues between modern aesthetics and ancient mysticism.

While often associated with the gritty, industrial atmosphere of mid-century New York, many pioneers of the New York School sought a visual language that could articulate the "Sublime," a quest that frequently mirrored the structural and spiritual framework of the Jewish mystical tradition.

The Metaphysics of Tiferet

In the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, the Sephirot are the ten attributes through which the Infinite (Ein Sof) reveals itself. Tiferet occupies the central position of the diagram. It is often translated as "Beauty," "Harmony," or "Compassion," but its function is more complex: it serves as the "heart" that balances the opposing forces of Chesed (expansive loving-kindness) and Gevurah (restrictive judgment).

Tiferet is the point of integration. It is the sun in the microcosmic system, the place where the divine light becomes visible and balanced enough for human contemplation. For an artist, Tiferet represents the moment where the raw, chaotic energy of creation (the "gestures") finds a formal equilibrium.

Abstract Expressionism as "The Void"

The Abstract Expressionists—most notably figures like Barnett Newman, Mark Rothko, and Adolph Gottlieb—moved away from figurative representation to engage with what they called the "tragic and timeless."
 

• Barnett Newman and the "Zip"
  • Newman was explicitly influenced by Kabbalistic concepts. His famous vertical line, or "Zip," can be viewed as a manifestation of the Kav—the thin line of divine light that pierced the vacuum (Tzimtzum) to begin creation. In this context, his paintings are not merely stripes on a canvas but acts of "making place" (Makom), echoing the creative act of Tiferet in centering the universe.
• Mark Rothko’s Luminous Envelopes
  • Rothko’s soft-edged rectangles of color function similarly to the "veils" of the Sephirot. His work seeks to evoke a religious experience through pure color, aiming for a state of "Beauty" that is both overwhelming and harmonizing—the very definition of Tiferet.

The Synthesis of Form and Spirit

The relationship between these two worlds lies in the rejection of the literal. Kabbalah teaches that the highest truths cannot be captured in images, only through the relationships between

symbols and light. Abstract Expressionism adopted this same "aniconic" (non-image) stance.

By focusing on Tiferet, we see the artist as a conduit. Just as Tiferet balances the Tree of Life, the Abstract Expressionist canvas balances the artist's internal psychological turmoil with the external, physical reality of paint. The result is a "Harmonious Beauty" that does not rely on a picture of a flower or a face, but on the visceral resonance of light and space.

Key Conceptual Parallels

Conclusion

In conclusion, the "Beauty" of Tiferet is not the decorative beauty of the mundane world, but the terrifying and majestic beauty of the divine order. Abstract Expressionism, through its scale and raw power, attempted to build a secular Tabernacle where the modern viewer could encounter this same sense of the Infinite.