Barbara Wolff - Art & Illumination

The Beauty of the Hebrew Letter
Izzy Pludwinski, Brandeis University Press 2023
Psalm 104:24 Illumination by Barbara Wolff

"Beauty is not just a static presentation of form. Calligraphy is like a dance—the strokes that form the letters are the embodied gestures of the moving hand and body. They make the letters come alive, and it is this life force that resonates with the viewer."
From Introduction by Izzy Pludwinski

Mastering Hebrew Calligraphy
Izzy Pludwinski, The Tobey Press,
New Milford, CT and Jerusalem
Psalm 104:14 Illumination by Barbara Wolff

"Calligraphy is an authentic Jewish art form. The Jewish connection to the word and the act of the written word can be traced back to the very beginning of Judaism."
From Introduction by Izzy Pludwinski

Skies of Parchment, Seas of Ink:
Jewish Illuminated Manuscripts
Edited by Marc Michael Epstein
Princeton University Press, May, 2015

With contributions by Eva Frojmovic, Jenna Siman Jacobs, Hartley Lachter, Shalom Sabar, Raymond P. Scheindlin, Ágnes Vetõ, Susan Vick, Barbara Wolff & Diane Wolfthal

Skies of Parchment, Seas of Ink offers the first full survey of Jewish illuminated manuscripts, ranging from their origins in the Middle Ages to the present day. Featuring some of the most beautiful examples of Jewish art of all time.

Chapter 3
How an illuminated manuscript is created (photo essay)
The Illuminated Page: Materials, Methods,
and Techniques by Barbara Wolff.

"Illuminating Women"

"Working in the centuries-long tradition of illustrated Haggadot, Barbara Wolff illuminated this twenty-first century copy of the text [The Rose Haggadah], read during the Passover Seder. Her artistic practice incorporates the prominent use of gold and silver leaf, reflecting the heritage of medieval manuscript illumination... This modern Hebrew book reinforces the important role that women continue to play in the commissioning, creation, and use of manuscripts." (From "Illuminating Women etc" published by The Getty Museum)

"SIGNS & WONDERS"
100 Haggada Masterpieces

"This page, which shows the supple Hebrew calligraphy of Izzy Pludwinski, again demonstrates Barbara Wolff’s lively imagination and incredible abilities with metal, which imbue the page with light and, in this case, sound. The strings of the gleaming, tactile silver lyre seem to vibrate as they stretch beyond the instrument and sinuously intertwine with the many colorful characters to suggest the tinkling of music."

"'The Rose Haggadah' is one of the very few modern works to enter the famous manuscript collection assembled by J.Piepont Morgan and opened to the public in 1924." (From "Signs and Wonders" by Adam Cohen, published by Tobey Press)

"Fifty Shades of Gold"

"Psalm 104 is about beauty. It is about other things as well, true, but it starts with beauty and returns to it as a touchstone. It describes the world with rapturous metaphor. God, who is 'clothed with glory and majesty', who covers himself with 'light as with a garment, who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,' has made the world in his image.

When you walk into "Hebrew Illumination for Our Time: The Art of Barbara Wolff," at the Morgan Library & Museum, you are surrounded by the wild precise beauty of that creation, in rich lush exquisite witty masterfully detailed controlled miniatures.

To walk into that room is to be stunned by beauty."

—Joanna Palmer, Culture Editor, The Jewish Standard, March 2015

Barbara Wolff–
An Artists Profile

"The 'Talent' in the title of her show at the YU Museum has multiple meanings. It pays tribute both to Wolff's abilities as well as her fluency with ancient artist's materials, such as burnished gold on vellum and ground pigments."

—Haddasah Magazine 3/07

"Barbara Wolff brings medieval artistry to contemporary Hebrew manuscript design. It's Magic, Turning These Pieces Into Gold"

"The work is slow," Wolff says, "in the best sense of the word. By slow I mean with thoughtfulness, deliberation, great care."

–The Jewish Week 3/15

Gilding The Lily and The Thistle

"The illuminations bring to a single, fine point Wolff's exquisitely observed botanicals and technical artistry. Balancing composition, color and technical perfection, Wolff's miniatures reward close inspection."

—The Forward 3/07

LETTER ARTS REVIEW is an award-winning quarterly journal internationally recognized as the preeminent magazine for calligraphers and those involved with the lettering and book arts. It presents today's innovative leaders as well as yesterday's legends. From the creators of the precious illuminated manuscripts to 21st century designers of the newest typefaces, it reflects the highest caliber work from every corner of the world.

Click on the image below to download PDF of entire document

ALUMINA
This Italian quarterly journal is a reference point for book-lovers, collectors, booksellers, libraries, museums and conservators and presents the finest examples of manuscript illumination. It showcases masters of the manuscript miniature, both past and present, its patrons and collectors, acquisitions, exhibitions, and conferences. Note: An English translation of the text follows the article.