In Greek and Roman times, there was trompe l’oeil, where artists tried to “trick the eye” into seeing three dimensions where there were just two. Double exposure built the optical illusion of two different images being overlaid into the same moment. Then chroma key blasted open the world of blue screens, weather forecasters in front of tropical maps, and even CGI-enhanced superheroes.
But never before has Moses walked the deserts of Georgia O’Keeffe, nor has Whistler’s Mother sat shiva. Artist Esty Frankel-Fersel has created a new form of mashable art that combines perspectives and cultures in a really fun romp through old classics and new faces.
Converted Masters is a beautiful coffee table book filled with art masterpieces through the past five centuries that Frankel-Fersel has “converted” into Jewish art. Using oil on canvas, collage, and eloquent commentary, Frankel-Fersel embeds Jewish traditions and expressions almost seamlessly.
A dour farming couple holds a lulav and etrog in what we can only call Sukkot Gothic.
Seurat’s park bustles with religious families.
There are over 60 works of art by Frankel-Fersel and they are, by turns, funny, solemn, and even educational. Whether searching for the hidden shofar or reading the Hebrew inscriptions in the stars, this book will entertain and enlighten.
Spoiler alert: Mona Lisa looks pretty fab in her sheitel.
