Prior to King Solomon writing Shir Hashirim (The Song of Songs), others had said Shira (songs and poems of praise). Shir Hashirim is the penultimate level of Shira. Raquel Sanchez, daughter of Poet Laureate and innovator of Venezuelan Surrealist Poetry Juan Sanchez Pelaez, is a multidisciplinary artist. Her poetry has been extensively published. Her artwork is influenced by the work of her father as well as the traditional texts of King David and King Solomon, among others.
“Many waters cannot quench the love, nor can rivers drown it.” (Song of Songs 8:7). Rashi explains that the waters refer to the nations of the world and the rivers represent their ministers and kings. In Biblical narratives, water carries a plethora of meaning. On the one hand it is a symbol of life, without which the world cannot exist. During the Six Days of Creation, G-d Separated the Heavenly Waters from the Waters of this world. Water brings blessing and abundance; it is also a method of judgment. Water is a metaphor for Torah, yet also as Rashi explains, represents a potential attempt by the nations to distance G-d from the Jewish people. We are inseparable. Water, a central element in art of various cultures, may also symbolize life, purity and renewal. In others, water may be perceived as a symbol of infinity, new life and an irresistible force of nature.
In Sanchez’s painting, water reflects the power and depth of both the inner and the outer worlds; the spiritual and the material; the Holy and the mundane. In this exhibition, water is presented not only as a natural element but also a reflection of human emotions and experiences. The deep blues and varying shades in Sanchez’s paintings convey feelings of love, longing, freedom and inner peace.
The Omnipresence of Creation and G-d is expressed through these many waters and skies. Whether intertwined or through reflections they enhance the beauty, power and existential importance of life.
The artist explores the connection between spirit, faith and Creation. The paintings featured in “Many Waters” present a world where marine and celestial nuances and reflections oscillate between abstract and oceanic landscapes. She blend the skies with splashes and cascades of waters erupting from the depths of the seas to evoke a sense of infinity and unity of nature.
Characterized by a diverse color palette, dominated by the blue spectrum, the works are imbued with depth and a sense of space. Each painting serves as a window through which the viewer can peer into a world of tranquility, strength and natural beauty. Water functions as the central motif conveying movement, life and simultaneous calmness.
Raquel Sanchez employs a unique technique involving iridescent metallic paints creating effects of depth and luminosity. This allows her to produce numerous subtleties within pictorial spaces. It endows each piece with a three-dimensional and often-times kinetic feel of imbuing vitality. “Sanchez utilizes color as well as reflection to emulate movement and time. As light affects Nature, so too the light Sanchez interacts with, renders and illustrates her unique process to instill inspiration. The painting, creating an almost spiritual feeling, utilizes light to achieve its seemingly kinetic effect.” (Uri Rosenbach, Raquel Sanchez: The surreal within the poetic real).
Vera Pilpoul, curator
Heavenly Jerusalem, 2020 o/c 100 x 140 cm
Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters... (Bereishit 1:6), 2020, oil on canvas 50 x 150 cm
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