Art in Zion: The Genesis of Modern National Art in Jewish Palestine Dalia Manor What is the role of art in a national movement, and what is the role of national ideology in the interpretation of art? Art in Zion examines the complex relationship between art and national ideology, through the specific case of the artistic activity in Jewish Palestine during the first decades of the Zionist settlement and the process of nation-building. Dalia Manor focuses on two phases of this early development: on works made by the Bezalel School of Arts and Crafts, and paintings by a group in the 1920s known as the Modernists, in particular by Reuven Rubin. Beyond the differences between these two groups, the book examines their shared aspiration to create a genuine national art that would reflect the renewed contact of the Jews with the Land of Israel by drawing on the country itself - its landscapes and population. This book considers to what extent this search for an authentic local, artistic expressions relies on ideas, themes and styles borrowed from European culture; and the seeming discrepancy between the artists' personal commitment to the Zionist ideology and the absence of expected imagery relating to this ideology in their art. Whether turning to traditional Jewish symbols and biblical themes, or adopting a certain contemporary French 'look', both groups created an imagined and idealized view of the country and its people - Jews and Arabs - as an oriental Arcadia of the pre-Zionist, pre-modern era. This book analyses the ideological and social climate, and the critical response to this art, elucidating the meaning and function of such an idealized picture. Art in Zion offers a new perspective on the scholarship of Zionism and the Jewish settlement in Palestine, in pre-state Israel. As one of the few academic studies on Israel's visual arts, and a unique study of the link between art and national ideology, it is significant addition to any study of modern Jewish art and culture. The book also sheds light on a little-explored aspect of cultural nationalism. Dr Dalia Manor is an art historian and critic with a special interest in modern art and national identity. She has published numerous articles, catalogues and reviews on art in Israel. She is a Senior research Associate in the Department of Near and Middle East at SOAS, University of London, where she has lectured for many years.