In A Collage of Customs, Mark Podwal's imaginative and inventive interpretations of woodcuts from a 16th-century Sefer Minhagim (Book of Customs) allow us to see these historic images in a new light. Podwal brings humour and whimsy to religious objects and practices, while at the same time delivering profound and nuanced commentary on Jewish customs and history, both through his art and through his insightful accompanying text. The book appears in concert with an exhibition of Podwal's renderings at the Cincinnati Skirball Museum.

About the Author

Mark Podwal was initially best known for his drawings on The New York Times Op-Ed page. He went on to write and illustrate numerous books; he has illustrated more than two dozen works by such authors as Elie Wiesel, Heinrich Heine, Harold Bloom, and Francine Prose. His art is represented in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum, Prague's National Gallery, the Bodleian Library, and Jewish museums in Berlin, Vienna, Prague and New York. Honours he has received include being named Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Ministry of Culture; the Jewish Cultural Achievement Award from the Foundation for Jewish Culture, and the Gratias Agit Prize from the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Podwal's current projects include a poster for each new Metropolitan Opera season, a series on Mozart and Prague, a series Kaddish for Dabrowa Bialostocka about the Polish shtetl where his mother was born, and illustrations for Heinrich Heine's poems, Hebrew Melodies.

Reviews

Ingenious! - Cynthia Ozick

What a treasure and a treat the eminent artist and author Mark Podwal has given us. In his unique way, Podwal has combined visual beauty and clever humor to provide us with illuminating details about lesser-known Jewish customs alongside magnificent woodcut illustrations. I learned much from this fascinating book and thoroughly enjoyed the learning! A book for both bedside reading and living room display, A Collage of Customs is a wonderful gift for oneself and for others. - Marcia Falk

Ritual is the inescapable language of religion. Mark Podwal's 26 chapters of A Collage of Customs, equivalent to the numerical value of the four Hebrew letters of God's most sacred name, is an ingenious creation designed to bring us a bit closer to God through the ever-evolving rich language of Jewish ritual. Alighting on the popular model of medieval books of customs, Podwal crafted his own intricate narrative of word and woodcut that skillfully oscillates between past and present, law and levity, gravitas and celebration. Truly a unique gem. - Ismar Schorsch

Book Information
ISBN 9780878205097
Author Mark Podwal
Format Paperback
Page Count 68
Imprint Hebrew Union College Press,U.S.
Publisher Hebrew Union College Press,U.S.
Weight(grams) 198g
Dimensions(mm) 203mm * 203mm * 5mm