Golem I
Object numberM2025/082:014
TitleGolem I
Creator Perle Hessing (artist)
DescriptionPerle Hessing, Golem 1, Oil on canvas, initialled PH and dated 1963.
The painting is one of several exploring the legend of the Golem. In Jewish folklore, a golem is an animated anthropomorphic being, typically made of clay or mud, brought to life through mystical rituals.
At its centre is Rabbi Low, a revered spiritual leader and scholar of science and astronomy who lived in the 16th century in the Jewish ghetto of Prague. Witnessing the overcrowded and unsanitary conditions of the ghetto, the Rabbi sought a way to protect his community from illness and danger. As the artist recounts, he conceived the idea of creating a helper (a 'robot'), formed from clay, brought to life to serve and safeguard the Jewish people. Inspired by a vision, the rabbi placed a scroll bearing three sacred words into the Golem's open mouth, animating the creature. The Golem was tasked with cleaning the synagogue, maintaining the spaces between homes, and standing guard over the ghetto. The Golem became invaluable, but responded only to Rabbi Low's voice, a reminder of the delicate balance between human ingenuity and spiritual authority.
Hessing's depiction reflects both the mystical wonder of the tale and the ethical questions it raises about creation, control and responsibility.
Self-taught, naive-style painter, Perle Hessing, draws on her Jewish faith, childhood memories, and personal story of survival. Born in 1908 in Poland, later settling in Australia in 1951, she began painting in her fifties, encouraged by Desiderius Orban (1884-1986), a Hungarian-Australian painter and art teacher. Her work is inspired by biblical stories from the Old Testament, folklore of shtetl life, Jewish rituals, as well as lived experience as a migrant. Her art is symbolic, blending narrative with personal and collective memory. Perle is the mother of artist Leonard Hessing (1931-2004), who was part of Australia's abstract expressionists. Keen to see how he might succeed in Europe, he ended up in London. She moved to the UK in circa 1973 where she died in 2001. In 2023, a collection of 24 paintings was generously donated to the Sydney Jewish Museum by her grandson, Theo Hessing.
The painting is one of several exploring the legend of the Golem. In Jewish folklore, a golem is an animated anthropomorphic being, typically made of clay or mud, brought to life through mystical rituals.
At its centre is Rabbi Low, a revered spiritual leader and scholar of science and astronomy who lived in the 16th century in the Jewish ghetto of Prague. Witnessing the overcrowded and unsanitary conditions of the ghetto, the Rabbi sought a way to protect his community from illness and danger. As the artist recounts, he conceived the idea of creating a helper (a 'robot'), formed from clay, brought to life to serve and safeguard the Jewish people. Inspired by a vision, the rabbi placed a scroll bearing three sacred words into the Golem's open mouth, animating the creature. The Golem was tasked with cleaning the synagogue, maintaining the spaces between homes, and standing guard over the ghetto. The Golem became invaluable, but responded only to Rabbi Low's voice, a reminder of the delicate balance between human ingenuity and spiritual authority.
Hessing's depiction reflects both the mystical wonder of the tale and the ethical questions it raises about creation, control and responsibility.
Self-taught, naive-style painter, Perle Hessing, draws on her Jewish faith, childhood memories, and personal story of survival. Born in 1908 in Poland, later settling in Australia in 1951, she began painting in her fifties, encouraged by Desiderius Orban (1884-1986), a Hungarian-Australian painter and art teacher. Her work is inspired by biblical stories from the Old Testament, folklore of shtetl life, Jewish rituals, as well as lived experience as a migrant. Her art is symbolic, blending narrative with personal and collective memory. Perle is the mother of artist Leonard Hessing (1931-2004), who was part of Australia's abstract expressionists. Keen to see how he might succeed in Europe, he ended up in London. She moved to the UK in circa 1973 where she died in 2001. In 2023, a collection of 24 paintings was generously donated to the Sydney Jewish Museum by her grandson, Theo Hessing.
Production date 1963 1963
SubjectJewish life, Jewish artists, , family life
Object namepaintings
Dimensions
- width: 910.00 mm
height: 660.00 mm
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum collection, donated by Theo Hessing.
In appreciation to the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) for supporting this archival project.