1956 was bom in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine
1974 - 79 M.Sc. in chemistry, Yerevan State University, Armenia
1980 - 84 Ph.D. in chemistry, Institute of Organo-Element Compounds, Academy of Scienece of the USSR, Moscow
1983 - 84 Studied at the External State University of Arts (Alexander Egorov's studio), Moscow
1991 - 93 Chairman of the Jewish Community of Armenia
1993 - 94 Director of educational programs and teacher of the Jewish tradition and philosophy at the Religious Union "Midreshet Yerushalayim", Moscow
1994 Repatriation to Israel

1984 Group exhibition in Podolsk, Moscow region, Russia
1991 Exhibition with Andranik Petrosyan at the Yerevan Youth Palace, Armenia
1996 Group exhibition Uaffa Nights", Tel-Aviv-Jaffa, Israel
1996 group exhibition at the "Dan Panorama" Hotel, Tel-Aviv, Israel
1997 Solo exhibition at the Central Hous of Artists (CHA), Moscow, Russia - the first
personal exhibition of an Israeli artist in the CHA
1997 Group exhibition in "City Gallery", Tel-Aviv, Israel

Igor Ulanovsky is author of several articles on Jewish history, ethnography and fine arts. His work may be found in private collections in Israel, Russia, US& India etc.

J-art - Concention of Jewish Fine Arts
Bless the Lord, 0 my Soul (Psalms 103: 1)

Art and Jewish tradition for me are two correlative forms that try to realize and reflect the meaning of human being. The meaning is forgotten when the system of thoughts, that raised it, is not acting on. The tradition is keeping on, but there is danger for it's going to be not intelligent ritual or transit to obsession. So, to my consideration, the fruitfull approach in Jewish Fine Arts is the one in two - meaning and shape, ethics and principles of plastic languages organization.

Prohibition on Jewish Fine Arts
Can we talk about conception of Jewish Fine Arts if there is a prohibition on it from the Torah:
Exodus 20:4
"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness, of any thing that is the heaven aboye, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under earth."' (A Jewish Bible according to the Masoretic text, "Sinai" publishing, Tel Aviv, Israel).
When we translate this prohibition from Hebrew word by word we shall see: "Thou shalt not make unto thee graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above and in underground kingdo."
Compare this sentence with the story from Genesis: (1:6-10):
"And God said, let there be a firnament in the midst of the water , and let it devide the waters from the waters.
And God made the firnament, and devided the waters, which were under the firnament from the waters, which were above the firnament: and it was so.
And God called the firnament Heaven. And the evening and the moming were the second day. And God said, let the waters under the heaven are gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters called be
seas."
So, the wonderful picture springs up. There is no prohibition on Jewish Fine Arts, there is prohibition on representation of chaotic worlds, illustrative eschatology and immersion into darkness. The hymn to light and responsibility of artist.
"And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the spirit (ruah (Hebrew)- I would say - hurricane) of God moved upon the face of the waters".
And God said, let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness." (Genesis 1:2-4).

Existentional dialog and silence of the Universe
The essence of the basic Jewish pray "Hear, O Israel" is not Jewish only, but it is personal (hear)-national (Israel)-universal (the Lord is our God, the Lord is One). It is said in the pray: "... if you continually hearken to my commandments... ", Jewish tradition regards human life as a dialog with the Lord, as a trying to hear the answer to the question, that everyone ask himself. " Where am I?" and within the desire to hear the question to himself. "Where art thou?"
This question frequently remains without the answer, the verbal answer, at least. Rare person can hear this Voice coming from the Heaven. Nevertheless, every one of us enters this dialog independently of his awareness of self-spiritually by his every action. Everyone is considering and commencing his acts, thought and wishes with some ethalone, that exists without or within. Everyone is occupied with or God-seeking, or God-constructing, or God-distructing, but more often with first, second and third together.

Tallit and Tefilline
Tallit- is a white rectangle, forming the space of any degree of flexibility. Filling in any futilities slowly, smoothly and majestly.
Enveloping, warming and concealing, coming on and falling down, floating and flying Tallit; attending every one who tries to realize the meaning of human being or passes on to another world.
This is a little piece of white material that is borning, growing up and dying, changing the colors from snow-white to cream, yellow and almost brown.
It is beauty and proud of the Jew, his common wear with the Torah scroll.
The shroud concealing for coming on special light. Four corners of Tallit is binding to the heaven by threads of vision.
Blue color of one thread is leading not to nothere, but thoughtfully transform "thelet" (blue) into "tahlit" (aim).
This is a binding and orienting thread.
Whether it is a State of Israel's flag, or it is a daily wear of orthodox person - Tallit is the uniting, keeping and giving a Hope space.

Tefilline- is a black mat cube twinkling near the heart and the brain.
Restricting, separating and standing over; containing four invisible little pieces of parchment with the Torahs words, that edow us of special priest-nation proudness. Was taken out from the slavery by the wonderfull and therefore not every deep realized way, which requires daily mention about it.
Rib, cruelty, strictness, and incredibility of our existence, border - we dissolve instantly out of it.
"Am segula" - the chosen people, like a rainbow violet ("segol") which preceedes an invisible ultraviolet, we close human possible flight and trend to the Heavens, beginning it from the most red of the earthes, the Man is created from.

Text by Igor (Joseph) Ulanonky, 27.01.1997, Ramat-Gan, ISRAEL

ulanovi@mail.biu.ac.il