Alphabet of Creation

Throughout history Hebrew calligraphy and typography have been dealt with by various artists – Jewish and non-Jewish. Since the invention of the printing press, various type setters and type cutters were preoccupied with creation of innovative designs for Hebrew characters. Their enterprise was of a twofold nature: making the best legible alphabet and dealing with the alphabet's aesthetic aspects for decoration purposes. The lecture will trace various uses of the Hebrew alphabet from the middle ages to the 20th century, focusing on the alphabet's religious-ritual functions as well as its expressions in secular modern Hebrew culture. In conclusion, the lecture will survey exemplary visual references to the Hebrew alphabet by contemporary Israeli artworks in which artists refer to Hebrew meta-language phenomena such as puns, double meanings, popular expressions and numerology.