Over the years I have been intrigued by the perspectives gained through viewing creativity through the lens of the Jewish historical experience. This interest has been manifested in what I call my Jonah Project, a derivative of what the psychologist Abraham Maslow coined as the “Jonah Complex”
Maslow’s use of the biblical Jonah and the above image of Jonah by an 11 year old Enrique Vigil are extensions of the traditional Jewish Midrash, extracting meaning from a verse or concept. Maslow’s midrash is the application of psychological understanding to the scriptural, while the retablo we bought at Spanish Market in Santa Fe is an example of a visual approach which has been described as Visual Midrash.
Visual Midrash is an art form that experiments with the interaction between the visual and the written record of the Jewish Historical experience. The Jewish Photographer makes the case for photography as Visual Midrash, and the photographer as Visual Midrashist.
The biblical book of Jonah whose story has led to Abraham Maslow’s coinage of the “Jonah complex” portrays the extremely talented Jonah who flees rather than accepting his abilities to convince others to turn back to their authentic selves.
I refer to The Jewish Photographer as my Jonah Project because I believe that it breaks new ground, because it utilizes for the most part my own photography, and it represents a model for myself and others for utilizing this medium for self-discovery and spiritual well-being. The Jewish Photographer model is not concerned with the technology per se, but the photographer, and the viewer who might be inspired to create their own visual Midrash in whatever media.