Jerusalem in Art a Symbol of Holiness and Aesthetic

Role of Art

Jerusalem, the city of holiness and beauty, has been the subject of many artistic works. Not only did Arabs and Palestinians dedicate special corners of their imagination and creativity for Jerusalem, but western and international artists also took Jerusalem as an artistic source of inspiration. They used it to show humanity and peace. Throughout history, Jerusalem was captured in art works as a symbol of peace, righteousness, holiness, and good causes. It also stood for the charm and sanctity of the East, and the ability of coexistence in Oriental art.^[1]

The artist Ghazi Al-Khaldi in his painting, Jerusalem in Hell (pictured on the left) depicts flames that cross the streets of the holy city.  These flames represent the tragedy experienced by the people of Jerusalem, under the Zionist occupation.

Whether painting, sculpture, photography, engraving, or any other method, it expresses the commitment to humanity and the expression of the idea and concept without linguistic or cultural differences.^[2]

International artists such as David Roberts,^[3] Hubert Sattler, Budis Anisfeld, Susanna Klotz, Edward Stanley, Skylie Miller, and Kunstgari Tevdar captured the human, cultural and religious diversity of Jerusalem.^[4] While Arab and Palestinian artists such as Suleiman Mansour, Mahmoud Abu Sabeeh, Mahmoud Al-Rikoui, Zuhdi Al-Adawi, Abdul Rahman Al-Muzain, Tawfiq Abdel-Al, Bashir Al-Sinwar, Ismail Shamout, Ghazi Al-Khalidi, Tayseer Sharaf and many others took Jerusalem in their works as a symbol of national affiliation, Arab vision, lost homeland, and historical sufferance.^[5]

A proof of the Arab Historical Character

Because art is the memory of humanity in connection to time and place, it can be used as a proof of the Arab character of Jerusalem. This appears clearly in the oriental art works where, for many centuries, no connection between Jerusalem and Jews was captured.^[6]

One important example of the role of art in refuting the Israeli allegations of the history of Jerusalem is the works of the Italian Armiti Pierotti in the 19th century, and Luigi Mayer in the 18th century. These two artists drew a marvelous collection of paintings and sketches published by Sir Robert Inzley, the British Ambassador to Turkey, in London 1804 under the title of “scenes from Palestine”. The collection emphasizes the Arab identity of the city, where there is no sign of any Jewish presence.^[7]

Jerusalemite Art

There are Jerusalemite families that took care of art in the city, such as the family of Zakharia, represented by Ramzi Zakharia the olive wood sculptor, and the family of Zlatimu, which has for more than 200 years the largest photographic archive in the Middle East, mainly of Jerusalem and its urban development, different occupations, earthquakes, attacks and violations.^[8]

In addition to families and individuals who adopt artwork in the city, Jerusalem has a remarkable number of art museums, exhibitions, and organizations that stress the cultural identity of the city by hosting art galleries, holding workshops and art competitions, and hosting works of art by Palestinian artists such as Al Hoash Palestinian Art Court and the museum of Islamic Art.^[9]