The sea is an image, a multi-faceted symbol that has accompanied
human experience from the earliest times. It is present in the cultural
legacy of former generations, and gives rise to mythological, historical,
literary, artistic, and religious associations. As a powerful force of
nature, the sea is a source of life and pleasure, but also of menace and
danger, stretching between continents. In its murky depths lies a silent
world that has aroused the imagination and become a metaphor for the
subconscious.
The Mediterranean is connected to Jewish-Israeli history and its
formative events in modern times. Other important seas include the
Sea of Galilee (Kinneret), the Dead Sea, and the Red Sea, each with
its cultural and symbolic connotations. The sea and the harbour are
integral to the scenery of Haifa, and vital to the city’s life. The port is an
important source of revenue, affecting both the city and its environs.
The beaches and promenades are leisure sites for Haifa’s citizens. The
National Maritime Museum and the Maritime Research Institute, the
Clandestine Immigration and Naval Museum are adjacent to the shore,
confirming the presence of the sea in local awareness – which is also
evident in the names of the neighborhoods – Bat Galim (Daughter of the
Waves), and Ein Hayam (the Eye/Source of the Sea) on the coast.
The collections of Haifa Museum of Art and the National Maritime
Museum comprise some 200 modern works dealing with the sea.
Paintings, drawings, prints, photographs and video-art have been
amassed in these museums since their foundation in the early 1950s.
The current exhibition presents a selection of works by Israeli artists
from those collections, indicative of interest in the sea in its various
aspects. There are direct and poetic representations of the sea and
the port, literary and historical references to this concept, as well as
allusions to the sea as a universal, political or personal symbol and
metaphor. The intention is to present a range of works from the 1930s
until the present day.