When Art And Religion Collide

Asher is told by important figures in his life that he cannot balance both worlds, “‘Asher Lev, you are entering the wrong world,’ [Anna Shafer] said. I was quiet. ‘Asher Lev, this world will destroy you. Art is not for people who want to make the world holy’” (209-210). In this moment, Anna Shafer is brutally honest with Asher Lev and informs him that you cannot balance a religious life and an artistic life. Another important figure in Asher’s artistic world communicates to Asher that he is “‘...too religious to be an abstract Expressionist,’ [Jacob Kahn] said to me one morning. ‘We are ill at ease in the universe. We are rebellious and individualistic...You are emotional and sensual but you are also rational. That is your Ladover background. It is not in my nature to urge a person to give up his background and culture in order to become a painter…’” (253-254). Another trusted figure of Asher’s life tells him that he can’t have the two worlds that he wants. This causes Asher to recognize if he wants to reach his dream of becoming an artist, he will have to give up his religion that conflicts with it. (AFTER ASHER BREAKS AWAY FROM RELIGION, HE MAKES IT

Asher travels through childhood hanging onto his art, but when his art interferes with his religious studies, Asher's two worlds of art and Torah collide. He disregards Jewish traditions and observance by pursuing his passion for art. His individuality has him disobeying the Rebbe, the mashphia, his mythic ancestor

Asher's paintings not only profoundly effect his parents, but they are also viewed upon negatively by the community. The community's reactions compile of many instances of silences and whispers in the

Asher’s gift is the ability to see the world around him and present what he sees into his artwork and onto paper. Problems that this gift creates include disapproval from his parents, disapproval from the Rebbe, as well as the overwhelming sense of being a bad kid.

The pencil liberates my stresses and sorrows. Bare and unimpeded, my mind is able to isolate itself from anything that was happening in my life. At my art table, which is merely an escape from reality, my curiosity is able to wander. Within this room, five blank canvas's look in on me as I become a mold of my imagination. A step inside my world develops into a sea of color and exploration. The vibrancy of the walls resonates throughout. Over the years, my room has served as my oasis. It’s my escape from monotonous and mundane routines. It’s my exploration of another side of me. I observe such works of art almost as much as I create. Taking notice of my classmates’ innovations and inspired by their creativity, my paintbrush begins to alleviate stress. I strive to produce pieces others will appreciate, but often find myself to be the true admirer. My pride, in this world, is driven simply by my own curiosity to express myself. I credit this side of me as the “passion” that supplements my insane drive for success. This passion has sparked critical thinking in me as well as how I see failure. Life is a blank canvas and you can truly draw whatever you want, and if you fail, you start over and don’t make that same mistake again! Hard work takes ideas quite far, but true success is derived from ingenuity and the generation of

The belief of a sacred space has been a highly contested concept since the beginning of mankind. Each individual may have a different perception or opinion on whether a particular place is truly sacred. However, many of these places have a close and personal connection to certain individuals, due in large part to having experienced a supernatural occurrence or witnessed a miracle of life. Often times, these places become associated with a divine presence, and are ultimately labeled as sacred for a particular religion. In The Sacred and the Profane, Mircea Eliade describes the key elements that define a space as sacred rather than profane. He stresses his belief that not all space is homogenous, and that there are certain places that hold

“So I draw because I want to talk to the world. And I want the world to pay attention to me. I feel important with a pen in my hand. I feel like I might grow up to be somebody important. An artist. Maybe a famous artist. Maybe a rich artist. That's the only way I can become rich and famous. Just take a look at the world. Almost all of the rich and famous brown people are artists. They're singers and actors and writers and dancers and directors and poets. So I draw because I feel like it might be my only real chance to escape the reservation. I

The relations between art and life is explored throughout Martin McDonagh’s play, The Pillowman and Muriel Spark’s Loitering With Intent. They explore these relations through discussing the stylistic features of their characters and how these characters are perceived in real life. Both authors explore how the preconceived ideas of what a character should be is dismantled and the line which distinguishes between art and life is becoming less clear. Another way in which these authors explore the link between art and life is through the act of storytelling. This suggests that life is a form of art. Both texts deal with the argument of whether it is life that influences art or art that influences life. Some literary critics such as Henry James

“Asher Lev, an artist is a person first. He is an individual. If there is no person, there is no artist” (Chaim Potok). An individual with different characteristics has a different mindset, attitude, confidence and respect from those around them. In Asher Lev by Chaim Potok, Asher is a Ladover Hasid who grows up in a Hasidic community, who is deeply committed to his Jewish faith and finds difficulty between the expectations of his traditions and his gift. He is an individual with a broad mindset, who wants to do things inversely. He does not try to mold himself into the society because he knows he would lose his identity; therefore, he constructs his attitude towards himself, which helps him improve as an artist. His father, Aryeh is the

His father doesn’t pay him much attention because of his characteristics though, he isn’t athletically talented or very smart with the books either. However, Amir grows to understand what his goal in life is, and he goes out and strives to achieve it to the maximum potential. Amir begins his life by feeling unwanted and worthless. His own father doesn’t want anything to do with him and his life, alls he cares about is his work and his nephew.

According to them, it is absolutely foolish for him to be drawing and painting instead of focusing on his studies in order to be a good Hasidic boy. Asher’s parents are not proud of him because they feel he is not the child they hoped for him to be, even at the mere age of six. Both Aryeh and Rivekh have high expectations of their son. They hope that he will one day travel and spread the Torah but are disappointed when he chooses art over his studies instead.

Amir seems to be a very selfish person who will avoid any conflict that does not involve him. Amir is the son of Baba and Hassan's best friend. Even though Hassan and Amir are great friends, Amir seems to take their friendship for granted. On the day of the kite running tournament, Hassan gets mixed up with gang who intend to rape him. They proceed to do so as Amir sits at the sidelines and watches. Amir says, ¨I had one last chance to make a decision. One final opportunity to decide who I was going to be. I could step into that alley, stand up for Hassan--the way he’d stood up for me all those times in the past--and accept whatever would happen to me. Or I could run. In the end I ran. I ran because I was a coward. I was afraid of Assef and what he would do to me.¨ (Hosseini 77) Amir has the option to help his friend who has been with him through thick and thin, but afraid of his own personal safety, he runs. Leaving Hassan completely alone and helpless. Amir also desires attention from his father and will think or do awful things to get it. Amir says, “I’d, ask Ali where Baba was, when he was coming home, though I know full well he was at the construction site over-looking this, supervising that. Didn't that take patience? I already hated all the kids he was building the orphanage for; sometimes I’d wish they'd all die along with their parents.” In Amir's mind, getting Baba’s attention is all that matters. Sacrificing others for his own gain becomes a habit of his. Amir is aware of his selfishness and in someway wants to make up for it.

My parents were never the ones to send their children to classes. While other kids were busy being tutored, swimming at the community center, or sent to a studio for art: I was the one at home staring at the television or playing with my cars as my only source of entertainment. Eventually, I grew tired and would do whatever was available to me, I would pick up pen and paper and I'd draw: and before I knew it, I became obsessed. Every flat surface became a victim of my addiction. Even my bedroom ceiling had drawings taped to it. Gradually, a minuscule spark of passion for art was lit inside of me.

Religion is a very personal thing. When discussing the subject, people can become very angry because it is so much a part of many people's identity. It is because of its importance in the larger society that literary work, whether they are fiction or non-fiction, cannot help but incorporate religion as a thematic component. Some works address religion intentionally and perhaps even heavy-handedly. In other works, religion is an idea that seeps through the text because the society in which the artist lives considers religion an integral part of life. Dr. Martin Luther King's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail," Eudora Welty's book One Writer's Beginning and the film O Brother, Where Art Thou by filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen each discuss religion in a different way but in all three, although they were created in different time periods and for entirely different purposes, all include religion as an underlying them in the message that they are trying to relate.

Throughout Stephen’s early life the idea of art is almost lost for him. Stephen always has the idea of art in his mind and can be considered his one true love. The ambition of art did not always influence his thinking and ideals until later in his teenage years. The challenges and mental boundaries he experiences can contribute to the artist he wants to become, therefore making him very open minded artist with traditional Irish roots.