The first half of the 20th century was dominated by the desire
for authentic homegrown art, art that would convey the
experience of the Jewish people's rebirth in its own land.
Zionism strove to repair the physical and mental infirmity of
the Diaspora Jew, transforming him into the New Hebrew. The
artists did their part, depicting the "new and improved" Jew as
a mighty pioneer-warrior. This Jew was highly physical: virile
and uninhibited, dynamic and masterful, with a natural
connection to the local landscape. Zionism held that such a hero
could only emerge in the Land of Israel, and the setting
portrayed by artists was fresh, unspoiled, and clearly Middle
Eastern - the antithesis of alien Europe with its long and often
hostile history. Over time this attitude changed, as artists
began to deal critically with other aspects of the body and its
relationship to the Land. The earlier idealistic images became
ambiguous; they were replaced by damaged figures with far less
control over their destiny, and landscapes