Künstlerroman Essay

Section IV (Sam)

    Asher Lev’s character progresses gradually, taking several different experiences with him through his personal time line and learning from them as he encounters new people and new situations. This is significant in his life as an artist, because, when compared to Thea, he has fewer teachers and mentors along the way to motivate and encourage his art, allowing him to learn more from his surroundings and, most importantly, himself. Education first comes up in regards to his religion; as he matures, the time he spends at the yeshiva, though dedicated to religious studies, proves to be more important to his development as an artist than his growth as a Jew. The drawings he makes in his books earn him a negative reputation with peers and instructors alike, but he learns through those (and similar) experiences, that he simply cannot help himself when it comes to art. When describing to Yudel Krinsky a drawing he did in his Chumash, Asher points out that he “did not even know [he] drew it until others saw it” (Potok 125).

    Most of his knowledge of the artistic world following the initial revelation that he needs to be a part of it is learned on his own. Through drawing the things he sees himself and through imitating the art he finds in galleries, Asher begins to recognize and understand certain concepts, styles, and particular artists he can relate with. However, the true “education” begins when the Rebbe introduces Jacob Kahn into the boy’s life. It is Jacob who first recognizes the true potential in Asher, and he is the only one who is really willing to cultivate it and make Asher his “David” (Potok 216). Jacob’s techniques and his advice only push Asher further along, offer him some support to lean on when he feels as though something is lacking. Even then, with Jacob as a personal guide and mentor, Asher still continues to learn for himself, though. And that is what leads him to an escape from the world he was accustomed to, but not necessarily “at home” with.

    After spending so many years under Kahn’s wing and under the critical eyes of his parents, Asher leaves, on his own, for Europe (Potok 308). The trip is enlightening for him as an art student and as a Jew– he gets to meet with many of the people his father helped and influenced over the years, and he also visits the inspirational places that Jacob Kahn had mentioned, such as Picasso’s home and studio (Potok 318). While on his own, he is able to spend as much time on the things he loves as he would like, drawing and painting whenever the desire or inspiration hits, making the trip a great escape from the restrictions he faced at home in New York. His escape, though beneficial in a personal and creative sense, is also what spurs his subsequent exile from his Ladover Hasidic community at home, because it is that first trip to Europe which bears the crucifixion paintings as fateful fruit (Potok 330). Ultimately, his banishment due to the display of the blasphemous paintings could be viewed as Asher’s final escape– The Rebbe asks him to leave the group (Potok 366), but Asher takes it as an opportunity to return to (and live in) France, thus allowing him to start over somewhere new, somewhere he is comfortable to be an artist.

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