1
Paper Cut

Dorrie Schlessinger: USA, 1994
H 36 1/4 W 28
Cleveland College of Jewish Studies (Olyn and Joseph B. Horwitz
     Collection)

Based on the Book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 3, that begins "To every thing there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven," this colorful paper cut vividly illustrates verses 1 to 8. Organized by dynamic wavy diagonals cascading from upper left to bottom right and inscribed with Hebrew verses, dozens of human figures dressed in medieval European costumes illuminate the biblical passages. Dorrie Schlessinger has fashioned a clear linear narrative that nevertheless moves visually in several directions simultaneously due to the criss-cross pattern of straight and wavy lines. The dense foliage in opposite corners, with various symbolic images, like the Israeli flag and tablets of the Law, channels the energetic movement of this lively design.

-- John Hunter