postheadericon Influences

12:02 | Posted by GroupLit | | Edit Post

Bernice Eisenstein beautiful illustrations and compelling writing are both influential to many artists and writers, especially to those of us who are Illustrators. Her marriage of dream like illustration and intriguing writing is what makes her memoir stand apart from many others. However, one may wonder, what influenced her, her art, and her life? The answer to that is many different things, including other artists, family, and past events.

Illustration/Art
In a recent interview with writer and artist Eisenstein, she states there were many artists that had great influence on her and her art. For example:

If you are asking me about who are the artists that have had an influence on me, who I admire and have learned from, then it's artists such as van Gogh, and Ben Shahn and Chagall and Saul Steinberg. There are others, but their sensibility, the effect their work has had on me, has been important. (Eisenstein, personal communication, 2011).

These influences, especially with Van Gogh are further illuminated in an illustration that can be found on page 90, which has the beautiful aesthetics and curls of many Van Gogh paintings. Though she was inspired by many artists, she has created a distinct and gorgeous style of her own, which is partially due to her next influence, her parents, family, and family friends.

Family/Friends
Family was also another aspect that greatly influenced not only Eisenstein’s art and writing, but also many aspects of her life, memory, thoughts and views. To begin, when it comes to her memoir, the memory of these people particularly her parents, often serves as an inspiration to her writing and especially artwork.  From her memories and pictures of her family, she is able to capture not just a likeness, but there character and lives as well. In a recent interview with Eisenstein, she tells us of the great impact that her memory of her family had on her artwork. For example:

…Thinking is Drawing. And my book is about a process of memory into not only my past, but the past of my parents and their friends. For me, the time I spent writing and drawing was a place of discovery. So, the photographs I look at, the faces I looked into in order to feel who they were, and who they once were before I had known them, became a guide, a voice to listen to, in order to make them come alive on the page. Memory--going to another terrain--was the propelling influence, and from that, feelings of compassion and loss, helped shape the paintings. (Eisenstein, personal communication, 2011).  

Her family also helped shape her own life in many ways. For example Judaism, its practices and traditions, is something that both Eisenstein and her parents shared, which also play a very big role in her memoir. For example, throughout her memoir one learns about Judaism’s funeral practice, and about Bris and Bar Mitzvahs, all of which are beautiful and poetically described. For example, in the very beginning of the book Eisenstein states “…I put aside the garment the Rabbi had cut, symbolic of the rendering of loss…”(Eisenstein, 2006, p.p. 11). This is very true to the funeral practices in Judaism. For example "Traditional Jewish funerals are very simple and usually relatively brief. Before they begin, the immediate relatives of the deceased-- siblings, parents, children, and spouse-- tear their garments to symbolize their loss "(Klug, 2006). In many ways religion often has great influence on a person, which I believe is applicable to Eisenstein as well.

Events
Needless to say, past event that influenced Eisenstein was the Holocaust, as well as the experiences of her parents during these times (though they were not always apt to share these experiences at first). As a child, Eisenstein was very influenced by these events, compelled to learn more and understand what had occurred, and often read books or saw films that pertained to this tragedy. The Holocaust was influential in Eisenstein’s life as her parents, relatives, and family friends, all had experienced it. They had the memories of their loss, hardships, and sorrows. They had number written vertically down their arms, and they were all connected to each other through this event. This event could be considered one of the strongest driving forces behind this memoir, as in the pages of this beautiful book, one comes to understand many sad and shocking things about these events, which in turn influence her readings to strive to understand more, much like she did when she was young.

Another event that had great influence on Eisenstein’s life, art, and writing, would the death of her father, and birth of her son. These appear to be strong factors of inspiration in her memoir, as her memoir begins with his death, and ends with her son’s birth. Death and Birth are events that affect many, however what makes this particularly influential was what these represented in her memoir in correlation to her parents ring.

Eisenstein, B. (2006). I was a child of Holocaust survivors. Toronto, On: McClelland & Stewart Ltd.

Klug, L.A (2011). Jewish Funeral Customs: saying goodbye to a loved on. Retrieved from http://www.jewishfederations.org/page.aspx?id=937

1 comments:

GroupLit said...

Hey Elizabeth. Good article you wrote there. I'm not sure if you mentioned (or If I missed it), that one of her influences was Primo Levi.He's quite an interesting writer and person. If you want to know more about him, check out this link.

http://www.themodernword.com/scriptorium/levi.html

(please note that the post application for this blog will not post html)

-Amy

28 November 2011 at 14:52

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