Anselm Kiefer is an erudite artist whose work has often been inspired by the kabbalistic tradition – an opportunity to take a closer look at this mystical, religious and philosophical body of thought.

Anselm Kiefer and the Kabbalah

Many of Anselm Kiefer's works refer directly to the Kabbalah through their titles and symbolism, or the incorporation of calligraphic texts. These include Sefirot (1990-91), The Breaking of the Vessels (1989-90), Die Ordnung der Engel ('The Heirarchy of Angels') (1985-87), The Seven Heavenly Palaces installed at Hangar Bicocca in Milan, or works displayed in the chapel of the Salpetrière hospital in Paris in 2000 under the collective title Chevirat ha-Kelim ('The Breaking of the Vessels' in Hebrew). Several paintings shown at the Salpetrière take their titles directly from the kabbalistic tradition: Tzimtzum, Tiqqun, Emanation etc. Kiefer's art is a striking visual exploration of the complex, fascinating world of kabbalistic thought and ideas. Which specific aspects of the Kabbalah does Kiefer address? And can we really talk in terms of 'the' Kabbalah without taking account of the movement's many obscure and more familiar ramifications, or the diverse writings that feed both its myth and its reality?

The kabbalistic tradition

The Kabbalah, in its widest and most commonly understood sense, refers to the various esoteric (secret) movements connected with Jewish tradition, both cultural and religious. In practice, the Kabbalah is sometimes also linked with white magic and alchemy. Fundamentally rooted in the sacred texts of Judaism, the Kabbalah is first and foremost a body of oral traditions whose historical origins remain obscure and whose subsequent evolution is difficult to trace. The first kabbalistic texts do not appear until the 12th century, in Provence, although many kabbalists claim descent from a much earlier tradition. The word 'kabbalah' (qabalah) means 'tradition' in Hebrew and is derived from the root qabel meaning 'to receive'. The Kabbalah takes the form of a body of metaphysical speculations on the nature of God, Man and the universe. It is based on the notion that the sacred Hebrew texts (the first five books of the Bible known as the Pentateuch, or Torah in the Jewish tradition) embody a second sense beyond the apparent meaning of their words. Initiates into Kabbalah gain exclusive access to these 'buried' texts. Their hidden meanings lead to further, more or less well-founded speculations.

The early texts

The Bahir (Sefer ha-bahir or 'Book of Brightness') is widely recognised as the Kabbalah's first major written work. It appeared in France in the 12th century, and was later known in Spain, from where (in the early 14th century) its influence spread beyond the frontiers of medieval Europe to North Africa and the Orient. Its first appearance is difficult to date with any accuracy, however, and the identity of its author remains unknown. The Kabbalah's central work of reference is generally held to be the Zohar (Sefer ha-zohar or 'Book of Splendour') attributed to the 13th-century Spanish author Moses of León. In its own time, the Zohar was presented as re-discovered ancient text. For several hundred years it was revered as a canonical text on a par with the Bible and the Talmud, and it has had a considerable influence on Jewish culture. These two works are the most important and influential texts in an otherwise vast body of kabbalistic literature, which flourished until the 17th century. Today, there are over 6,000 known works relating to the Kabbalah.

Lurianic Kabbalah

The Lurianic Kabbalah is characterised by a strongly messianic tendency. It quickly achieved a widespread following, and became a source of continual inspiration for subsequent generations. Issac ben Solomon Luria (1534-1572) was a celebrated kabbalist whose mainly oral teachings were transcribed after his death. His visions had a significant influence on Jewish culture. Luria introduced three fundamental concepts to the Kabbalah:  tzimtzum ('contraction' or 'withdrawal'), chevirat ha-kelim (the aforementioned 'breaking of the vessels'),  and tiqqun ('restoration') – concepts cited by Anselm Kiefer in the titles of some of his paintings. Tzimtzum, a term originally describing God's contraction or withdrawal into the Holy of Holies at the heart of the Temple in Jerusalem, was used by Luria to express the concept of God's primal contraction, to quite literally 'make room' for creation. In this sense, creation begins with the 'exodus' of God himself, placing the concept of exile – so central to the history of Jewish people – at the very heart of kabbalistic creation mythology. Since the dawn of time, the virtuous actions of men have contributed to bring God's original exile to an end. Ultimately, God will return to wholeness and perfection.

The Tree of the Sefirot

The Kabbalah, in its various forms, helps mankind to see beyond the illusion of our separation from God. One interpretation identifies ten 'veils' between Man and God, each of which acts as a kind of filter. At the same time, the veils are attributes of God himself. Knowledge of the veils allows us to recognise that which separates us from God, and hence to achieve a more perfect knowledge of God himself. Kabbalistic tradition refers to the veils or emanations of the Godhead as sefirot (in the plural). Often expressed as ten ideal numbers, their interconnection at the heart of all creation is represented by the Tree of the Sefirot, a symbolic structure embracing mankind and the universe, in which the microcosm and the macrocosm intertwine. This structure comprises the ten sefirot, expressed as circles, trials or challenges, states of awareness, and active forces in the material world around us. For example hesed, the fourth sefira, represents divine love, feeding into the symbolic forms of the third sefira, binah (understanding, or intelligence). Hesed is symbolised, among other things, by the left arm, the pyramid, the sceptre etc. Knowledge of the 'tree' enables the initiated to trace paths from one sefira to another (there are twenty-two such paths in total). The acquisition of this knowledge is itself a path of initiation. Each sefira is a repository of meanings and symbols that can be linked to another sefira to create any number of spiritual paths, equilibria, tensions or new meanings. Hence the Tree of the Sefirot is both immutable and endlessly dynamic, constantly open to new interpretations and approaches. Each sefira evolves according to its point of application, its direction, and intensity. The earliest illustrations of this structure date from the 12th century and take a variety of forms, from inverted images of the tree itself (with the primal roots plunging, paradoxically, into the upper reaches of the sky), to representations of the ten concentric circles, or a wheel-like formation.

Gematria, notarikon, temura

A variety of methods are used to interpret the sacred texts. Of these, three in particular are favoured by kabbalists. All three take direct account of the words themselves, their structure, and the language in which the texts were written, namely Hebrew. Gematria is based on the substitution of numbers for the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The numerical sum of the letters of a word is calculated, revealing hidden connections between words of the same numerical value. For example shem ('name') has the same value (340) as sefer ('book'), the implication being that the various names of God are all contained within the the sacred texts of Judaism. Notarikon takes the letters of a word (sometimes the first and last letters, or the two middle letters, etc.) to stand as abbreviations of a different, hidden phrase.  Temura is a third method based on the principle of the anagram: the letters of a word are rearranged to create new words, and new meanings. These three approaches enrich the kabbalist's reading of the sacred texts, and open the way to new horizons of meaning.

The Kabbalah is founded on the notion of hidden meanings, and strives continually to decode them. Anselm Kiefer's art draws on kabbalistic sources, expressing their mystical power in purely visual terms, and contributing further multiple interpretations of his own. This pictorial translation of the Kabbalah is more than a straightforward illustration of its ideas. It is a visual meditation on concepts whose depths we struggle to explore.