From
http://www.modia.org/infos/etudes/attitude-of-judaism-toward-art.htm
Halakha (Jewish religious law) concerning art
Religious law is called “halakha.” The fact that the word derives from the root halakh (to go) indicates that religious laws do not aim to enclose or dominate people, like government laws, but represent, instead, a process, a going towards. It is in this perspective that we should understand what Jewish law says about art, rather than focusing right away on the prohibition against representation, for this prohibition is simply a consequence of the desire to safeguard the process of life. If a painting takes the place of reality and of life, then it is prohibited. But if the artist Bezalel is capable of creating a representation which is the vehicle of life, renders this process visible and creates a relationship with the essence of life, then we need the artist and his role is essential. Furthermore, it is he who will give us a constantly visible reflection of a world that is beautiful and creative: he does this through his interiority and exteriority, and through his relations with the world, for he circulates his art and sells it.
In Hebrew, the word for face is in the plural, “ panim,” meaning faces, because we have both an inner and an outer face and they must both be present in us and in the person who “faces” us. The face represents the part of our bodies that most reflects failure or success. It is for this reason that the representation of the human person was specifically forbidden. But today, all the Great Rabbis allow themselves to be photographed. This is permitted on condition their representations are not viewed as idols, as objects substituting for life. The Psalms and the Prophets ridicule idols who do not talk, and do not feel. In contrast, when everything is in order, then art is present and necessary. What demonstrates this best are the two cherubs (kerumvim) first described in Genesis 3, 24, then in Exodus 25, 18-20 and 37, 7-9. It is said that the place from which God speaks is “between the two cherubs” made by the artist. Refer also to the following passages: I Samuel 4, 4. II Samuel 6, 2. II Kings 19, 15. Isaiah 37, 16 and Psalms 80, 2 and 99, 1.
The Sages, or possekei din, who define the rules that govern representation in a particular period or for a particular community, refer first and foremost to these basic principles. The way they are applied is secondary. The same principles pertain to the representation of faces and bodies, as well as to people’s names, for it is expressly forbidden to use a person’s name with disrespect or scorn.
Those who are very strict and doubt whether the representation of beauty is permissible, should refer to Tractate Shabbat of the Babylonian Talmud, page 133b, which states: “Baraitha: Exodus 15, 2 says in the Song of Moshe and of the people: ze Eli ne anvehu – Here is my God and I shall embellish him. So, adorn yourself before him with good deeds, make in His honor a beautiful hut for the festival of Succot, choose a beautiful palm, a beautiful shofar, beautiful fringes for the tsisiot at the corners of your garments, a beautiful book and write the Torah in His name with beautiful ink, a handsome pen, a talented scribe, and wrap it in precious silk. Abba Shaul tells us that this also signifies that we must strive to resemble Him: particularly, by being compassionate and full of mercy, as He is Himself.” Judaism, thus, accords a place of eminence to works of art, to human beings as works of art, to interiority and exteriority as works of art. Such works of art have nothing to with objects that are “fashionable” or accorded great value on the art market. When art adheres to the principles of Judaism, there is no prohibition: on the contrary, there is even an obligation to create it. The image of the dirty, ugly religious Jew is not a Jewish image.
In order to avoid the negative slide that leads to idol worship, the Torah tells us in Exodus 20, 4: “Thou shalt not make thee any craven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above or that is in the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth.” This is a prohibition against the representation of God, or the making of an object that claims to represent God. This prohibition is specifically set out in the summary of the Torah, in Devarim (Deuteronomy) 5, 8-9. Chapter 4, 16-18 of the same book prohibits the representation of human beings, male and female, for use as idols.
On this basis, and because of the different needs of Jewish communities throughout history, the ordinances issued by the Sages against representation varied (as in Islam). In modern times, as idol worship became less prevalent, the rabbis permitted the representation of a person’s face, even their own, for this did not represent idolatry. The specific authorization was given by Rav Solomon Hirsch (1762-1842) who was painted, engraved on medals, and even sculpted for his community by Drummond. We are now at a point where even the strictest streams of Judaism produce photographs and films about their rabbis and other figures (caution against idolatry remains necessary, for there is always a risk that the writings or image of an rabbi can unconsciously be confused with the Creator, but the problem, then, is not limited to the image but to the whole relationship.) Conversely, there remains the prohibition against transforming the image of a person into an object of scorn and, therefore, no longer in the image of God: this includes the widespread, immodest exploitation of the female body and its use as a cheap source of excitement and profit for the consumer industry.
Jewish art or art created by Jews preserves the age-old values of Jewish tradition which represents life, creation, interiority, true relationships and respect for human beings. Whether the subject of the art is religious or profane is irrelevant; what is important is the adherence to these principles.
Biblical figures and themes in works of art
Numerous works of art have been based on Biblical themes and figures, or bear Biblical titles; Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, the sacrifice of Isaac, Joseph and his brothers, all the episodes relating to the life of the Children of Israel in Egypt, in the desert, in Sinai, David and Goliath, Solomon, the rites of the Temple, and the destruction of the Temple.
Then there are the many images of Jewish community life (the synagogue, places of study); the major events in Jewish life from birth, bar mitzvah, marriage, the Shabbat table, and death; the rabbis and important public figures; the artistic characteristics of each community; and the milestones in Jewish history – exiles, pogroms, the Holocaust, the return to Israel and the discovery by artists of the landscapes of the land of Israel.
There are major Jewish such as Picart, Gottlieb, Chagall and Modigliani. And great non-Jewish painters such as Rembrandt, Delacroix, who left us incomparable works. Also imprinted in our minds are the images of the hundreds of synagogues which rose following the destruction of the Temple and which survive to this day, contradicting the lie perpetrated by Christians that everything Jewish was destroyed in the year 70, to give way to Christianity; the images of the stones of Ashkelon, the mosaics of Bet Alfa and Hamam Lif, the lintel of the house of study at Dabbura, Capernaum, the menorah of Caesarea, of Hammath and Ein Gedi, the frescoes of Pekiin, the mosaics of Maon, Jericho, Naarah, Gaza, Beth Shean and Gerasa, and the synagogues of Gush Halav.
And in dispersion and exile, the wonderful, renowned synagogues of Toledo, Cordoba, Prague, Amsterdam, Venice, Florence, Ostia, and the tombs of Esther, Mordechai and the prophet Daniel in Iran.
