Fabian Lijtmaer’s Spiritual Jewish Art Is Something to Meditate On

Fabian Lijtmaer believes that art isn’t just something pretty for people to look at. Instead, it has the power to transform our state of mind.

“Art is a way to intentionally choose colors and pieces that resonate with your soul and empower you,” the Pico-Robertson-based artist told the Journal. “You can use them to have more simcha, to see the world differently and remind yourself who you are. Who doesn’t want to wake up and see a piece that reminds them that they are a winged lion, or a son or daughter of Avraham, or that they have the ability to cross the Sea of Reeds with Hashem’s help?”

Lijtmaer is a painter who creates Jackson Pollock-inspired pieces that are meant to be spiritual and meditative. With titles like “Shabbat Dreams” and “Gan Eden Consciousness,” his pieces are colorful, chaotic and calming all at once. One of his paintings, “Purim,” contains a variety of colors, from blue to orange and green and red, that come together to evoke the exciting energy of the holiday. On the other hand, “Shabbat Dreams” is an all-blue universe that takes us right into dreamland.

Lijtmaer is a painter who creates Jackson Pollock-inspired pieces that are meant to be spiritual and meditative.

“My paintings are soul portraits to help people access higher states of consciousness. They are hopefully pieces that create an emotional, spiritual and psychological reaction in people. Almost all of them have specific intentions. Every mark is intentional. Even though it feels very flowy, they’re very intentional pieces and each one has its own frequency and vibration.”

Born in New York City, Lijtmaer, whose family is from Argentina, is of Ashkenazi Jewish descent. His family was in Europe during the Holocaust, which he thinks about constantly and on which he reflects in his work. “My mom’s mom was on the second to last transport escaping Poland, so it’s really incredible that I’m here right now,” he said. “I feel emotional when I think about the Holocaust. It’s a very challenging topic for me. I immediately feel it inside of me and it hurts a lot. I’ve explored it in my artwork. Using art as a way to transform pain is super valuable.”

The artist also finds inspiration in his Argentinian roots. “Something I love about the Argentinian culture is the level of passion they have for music, sports and food. Passion is such a beautiful and important component of being happy. Argentinians wear their emotions on their sleeve. I’m very influenced by that passion.”

Lijtmaer arrived in Los Angeles nine years ago to pursue a master’s degree in Leadership and Change from Antioch University, and ended up staying after falling in love with the city and his community. “My friends are beautiful and amazing. Everyone is so different and supportive of each other’s growth,” he said.

He attends Pico Shul and Happy Minyan, the former of which displays his artwork on the walls. When he’s not painting, Lijtmaer teaches at the International Children’s Academy and leads meditations with artwork and live musicians.

“We have one piece of art and I lead the meditation,” Lijtmaer said. “You can create new worlds and levels of introspection. Each person who approaches a painting will have a different perspective or viewpoint. I want everyone to get together to celebrate the arts and imagination.”

Lijtmaer creates his artwork in his studio in the Mid-City neighborhood of Los Angeles, 2.5 miles from Pico-Robertson. As we begin to find ourselves on the other side of the pandemic, studio visits will once again be available for people to experience his paintings. “I recommend everyone to see things in person because it’s so powerful,” he said. “It’s alive. It has three dimensionality.”

Given the craziness of our world today, Lijtmaer said he believes that meditating on art can be a healthy break for the soul.

“You can literally create a breath practice for a piece of art. Take 10 seconds of your time and envision yourself in this state of peace and tranquility and then move into your day with this consciousness. We’re fighting a lot of images and media messages and our mind is holy and sacred and it is being exploited. It’s under attack. As a Jewish person who is spiritual and wants to bring more of Hashem’s consciousness to the world, I think we need to actively be part of this movement to reprogram our minds in a healthy way. Art and education are two places to start that are really powerful.”

Kylie Ora Lobell is a writer for the Jewish Journal of Los Angeles, The Forward, Tablet Magazine, Aish, and Chabad.org and the author of the first children’s book for the children of Jewish converts, “Jewish Just Like You.”