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Philosophy

Cadieux has increasingly made spiritually themed paintings her main focus during the past several years. The themes are inspired by original Hebrew Scriptures. Her realistic paintings depict figures or landscapes, and are designed to be timeless and classical.


Statement of Belief

“L’Ma’An Sh’Mo”

The Artist’s Religious Philosophy

In addition to her realistic portraits and landscapes, a key facet of Cathey Cadieux’s current work is her religious painting.

About ten years ago Cadieux, who was raised Christian, became interested in studying Judaism and the Bible from the Jewish perspective. Ultimately, she began attending a Messianic Synagogue, because their form of Judaism embraces Yeshua (Jesus) as the Messiah. “I realized I wanted to say something with my art work about my new understanding that the entire Bible was a Jewish text,” she explains.

With dedication and intensity, Cadieux delved into researching Biblical history, and learning to read and write Hebrew. “As I began to study Hebrew, I discovered it to be a highly visual language, far more so than English. Even the letters of the Hebrew language paint pictures.”

About Her Signature

As she was painting “In Pastures Green” (at right), she decided to write in the background of the painting the first three verses of the 23rd Psalm. The last of these verses ends with “for His Name’s sake,” which happened to fall in the lower right-hand corner of the canvas where she usually signs her name. Seeing this, she realized that this is how she wanted to sign her paintings from then on — with L’Ma’an Sh’Mo, the phrase in Hebrew.

Using this signature would give her a way of reconciling a conflict she had been struggling with for a while, having been influenced by Judaism’s prohibition against creating representational art. That prohibition stems from the part of the Ten Commandments which states that we are not to create any image of anything in the heavens, on earth or in the seas, because we might worship it. She knew she wanted to continue to paint God’s creation, but she also wanted to give Him the credit for what He had created. Signing her paintings this way lets her do both. It also exalts His Name, not the artist’s.

Devotional Painting

The artist has increasingly made spiritually themed paintings her main focus during the past several years. The themes are inspired by original Hebrew Scriptures. Her realistic paintings depict figures or landscapes, and are designed to be timeless and classical. The astute observer will find scriptures as part of that design, contributing to the biblical narrative. Thus, the works can be enjoyed as a pure visual form, or understood as prophetic revelation.

Cadieux has found that studying the Bible from the Jewish perspective is so enlightening that she wishes to encourage others to follow suit. Studying the Bible from its Hebrew roots has not made her question her faith in Yeshua as Messiah; it has reinforced it. Some websites she recommends for study include:

Hebrew for Christians

Everything a Christian should know about Hebrew and Judaism. For the Jew, it is a good place to start to understand that the New Testament is a Jewish document.
www.hebrew4christians.com

Judaism101

Jewish Conservative point of view.
www.jewfaq.org

Blue Letter Bible

Bible study guide.
www.blueletterbible.org

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