The Beauty of the Hebrew Letter: From Sacred Scrolls to Graffiti

(Hardback, Main)

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Description

A beautifully illustrated exploration of the art of calligraphy in Hebrew, from the Sacred Scrolls to modern Hebrew graffiti. Calligrapher and scribe Izzy Pludwinski is in love with letters, and this love shines through in this ground-breaking book. Here you will find examples of writing and design from Biblical times to the present day that showcase the art of lettering as well as the beauty inherent in the forms themselves.
Individual chapters look at historical manuscripts and their influence, traditional calligraphy and lettering, aleph-bets and individual letters, abstract and decorative calligraphy, the use of Hebrew calligraphy in fine art and street art, with a final a section on scripts from sacred objects.
With more than 200 illustrations that span the history of the Hebrew alephbet over three millennia, this book will engage, delight, and surprise.

Reviews

'Izzy Pludwinski has an artist's eyes and the disciplined hands of a master scribe. In this beautiful book he writes from the heart with deep understanding of the techniques and rhythms of traditional and modern Hebrew letterforms and shows us how the aleph-bet continues to evolve, versatile and beautiful, as a vitally expressive contemporary art form.' - Donald Jackson

'Izzy Pludwinski is an artist, an artisan, and a master teacher. His letterforms sing and soar ... This work is a gift that deserves to be given to all whom we love, and to all whom we wish to introduce to the breathtaking beauty of Hebrew script.' - Marc Michael Epstein

'... profusely illustrated with examples from thousands of years ago to the present day; running the gamut from polished, consistent letterforms to wildly abstract expressions of the alphabet - including three dimensional carved examples and even street graffiti. For an overview of the possibilities for beauty offered by Hebrew letters there is no better resource than this book.' - Jerry Kelly

'A treat for the eyes and mind' - Publishers Weekly

Author Bio

Born in Brooklyn and now living in Israel, Izzy Pludwinski has worked as a professional calligrapher for over 40 years, teaching the subject in both England and Israel and Jerusalem and holding one-man shows of his work in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, London and Tokyo. He has worked on a number of prestigious calligraphic projects including work for the US and Israeli governments and is the designer of a number of Hebrew fonts. His website is at http://www.impwriter.com