ART - July 2005
Reviewed by Terri Crane: "Hungarian Rabbi" by Sarah Cordish
medium - oil
There are special times in the life of a reviewer when one comes across an artist with the
brilliance of the great masters. Sometimes, these artists haven't received the recognition
they deserve. For Sarah Cordish, this is due to her being so proficient in her pursuits and
her focus on other interests. At first glance, one may think Sarah is like many artists
who work in oil media. Upon my request, she sent me a copy of an oil painting she created
that is titled "Rose." It's of a beautiful red rose, done on a black background.
Simple, yet enchanting. This reminded me of a dark version of an early O'Keefe. The rose was
beautiful, but I was still unprepared for what was to follow, several months later. She
told me that she was working on updating her art site and I checked the progress, from
time to time. A few weeks later there appeared on her site a pencil drawing of a
Yemenite. What's that, you ask? Wait, I'm getting ahead of myself. I must disclose that
Sarah lives in Israel. I'm not schooled in Judaism, but a Yemenite is a Jew who can be
traced to the earliest settlement of Jews that dates back to the time of King Solomon.
Now, I was enchanted with this drawing of a man who could have been a rabbi and also
seemed so real. In this complex pencil rendition, I couild almost see the blood running
through the veins in the man's hand.
Sarah Cordish works in oil media, pencil, and watercolor. She has been an artist all her life
and has shown her work and had it published. As a child, she spent many hours
perfecting her drawing on plain typing paper. When she took an art course in high school,
one of her works went on a state wide tour of the best student art. She illustrated
catalogs for local horse shows and did portraits for her friends. She won a first prize in the
art show at the county fair.
Later, after graduation and marriage, she took up pencil and paper to develop a painterly
style in plain number two pencil. A Canadian professional artist saw the pencil drawings and
told her to try oils. She tried oils when a retiring painter gave her a whole set from his
studio. The transfer to oils went well; and this is her main medium today.
Sarah has done commercial art on commission for illustrations and book covers, which
have been published. Having been an aviculturalist for the past 15 years, Sarah is now
turning her attention to trying to paint and portray her beloved budgerigars.
Sarah is full of surprises, but this beautiful drawing still didn't prepare me for what was to
follow. A few days later, the most exquisite of paintings appears on the site. it's called
"The Hungarian rabbi." There is something about Sarah's work that reminds me of
Leonardo da Vinci. When you look at "The Huingarian Rabbi" you first think of "The Last
Supper!" When I examined "The Hungarian Rabbi," I felt in awe of the story that it tells. It's
a culture that I know nothing of, but have been fascinated with since childhood. Therefore,
in the middle of this, I'm looking for answers to what I am seeing here. I decided to start with
the background. It's secondary to the subjects of the painting, but it's presented as a vivid
golden wall that is lit by a formal wall sconce. The scene is at night. The lamp is glowing,
creating shadows on the wall, caused by the three candles-like fixtures. next to this, on the
right, is a gold drape that hangs slightly crooked and partially covers a darkened window.
This realistic scene I'm witnessing is a private meeting for men only, and I as a
woman shouldn't be there. Remember "Yent'l?" Women aren't generally a part of men
praying in the Jewish religion.
Upon looking closer at the window, I notice the man standing on the window ledge. He
wants so desperately to be part of everything, but the Rabbi is surrounded by too many
people. There he stands, precariously perched, his right hand showing the strength it
takes to stay there without falling. he's dressed in the traditional black suit with the white
shirt. I can't make out his face as it's in the shadows that disappear above the top right of
the painting.
In the center, is the Hungarian Rabbi. He's wearing a beautiful lime green coat that allows
him to be the focus of attention. He's also wearing what I believe to be a shtreimel as are
the seventeen other men portrayed in this prayer meeting. History has it that these are
traditionally a kind of wide fur hat that is usually made up of seven sable tails and worn on
the way to, or from, the synagogue or house of study. The Rabbi has a long white beard
that matches his equally long white hair. The lines etched in his face show signs of age
and wisdom. He looks down over an ornate wine decanter, his hands slightly clenched and
palms up. Another man holds a gold spiral type of vessel. Is it a candle, or is it a vessel
filled with oil that is making the flame? I'm not sure, but he's holding it out to the rabbi. All
the men in this painting are intense and focused on the Rabbi's ceremony. They are
youths to middle aged men, mostly with black hair and beards. Most of them are wearing
heavy black glasses. I see another whose hands, like the rabbi's, are clenched with
palms turned upward. He's just to the front of the painting and his strong hands are all that
I can see of him. I feel if I turned around, the perhaps, I could see his face. Just to his
right, is a man with sandy red hair. He stands out amongst the others, as they have dark
features. This painting is alive and full of spirit. I don't recall ever seeing anything like it.
SarahCordish is so diverse that I could write a book about her many accomplishments.
Sarah is also what I would call a perfectionist. Everything she does, she does well.
Currently, she's raising 150 budgies, 100 pigeons, 20 canaries, 20 Gouldian finches, 4
sparows, 4 cockatiels, and two Zebra finches. She's also a psittalinguist, one that
teaches budgies and other birds to speak in context! As a musician she excels in
bassoon and oboe while making music with a local orchestra. When did she have time to
finish that course in homeopathy and to train three-gaited and five-gaited horses?
Remember, I said she reminded me of Da Vinci? He was multi-talented also. I don't think
he left a stone unturned and neither has Sarah Cordish.
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