Shirley Samberg
Artworks
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#15 from Wrappings,1984 (detail) Wood, burlap, paint and glue "Wrappings" make both general and specific statements about human suffering. |
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Detail of #15 From the Wrappings. |
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#15 from Wrappings,1984 (detail) Wood, burlap, paint and glue The Jewish tradition forbids creation of human forms as a violation of the second Commandment. However, one may ask if these are truly human forms, or something less? |
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Detail of #15 From the Wrappings. |
Artist Statement
Samberg currently lives in New York and is an empathizer. Wrappings make both general and specific statements about human suffering.
When asked to write about my sculpture, it is always a dilemma. What to say? With an artist it is always the material that speaks. When asked to create a stage set, I started gathering supplies. Burlap was one of the materials. It was very malleable and to me, appealing. I had been welding at the time and needed a change. The challenge of using fabric with wood and earth elements appealed to me. The images seemed to spring from sources deep within me that I wasn't aware of. The dark and brooding sculptures took on a life of their own. I worked with a compulsion I didn't know I possessed. One figure emerged after another. Those who saw them were moved by the dark wellspring of grief. Grief for the loss of loved ones. Grief for the Holocaust. Grief for war, poverty and homelessness...and the list goes on.
Teaching Applications
Questions:
- Are Samberg's sculptures specific to the Holocaust, or to human suffering generally?
- If the latter, how can the Holocaust be used to understand other forms of human suffering?
- The second commandment prohibits the use of figurative in traditional Jewish art. Does the artist adhere to this commandment? Are these human figures?