Artwork: Mural by Seth, *L’écolière à la perle / Schoolgirl with the pearl*, Montréal, 2023

Artist Seth’s (@seth_globepainter) recent mural in Montréal, features one of his book-pile constructions, this time with a girl looking into the distance with a pearl earring. A nod to Vermeer’s painting (A Girl with a Pearl Earring, c.1665)? Not sure! Or the symbol of the pearl when relating it to stories and books, meaning a source of wisdom and knowledge. Perhaps. Seth had this to say about the mural and its location and significance:

“I was invited to paint the wall of the Belz school for Hasidic girls.
Hasidism is a mystical branch of Judaism. To be a Hasid is to devote one’s life to God, and to follow a number of rules, such as speaking Yiddish, wearing specific clothing and for married women, concealing their hair.
Every day, the schoolgirls passed by the wall, watching us from the corner of their eyes. Eventually, they began to pay us a few shy compliments.
At the end, the school’s headmistress came to give us words and poems written by the students. She thanked us, emphasizing the importance of art in bringing people together. From here on out, this wall will serve as a bridge between the Hasidic community and the other local residents.
Books are fundamental to education, just as they have long been for the Jewish people, referred to as People of the Book.”