Throughout most of this novel, Rivkeh, Asher's mother, supports Asher's artistic development. Although Rivkeh herself struggles with Asher's desire to be
an artist, she starts to become more involved in his work. Rivkeh even buys Asher supplies. "The box contained twelve tubes of oil colors, half a dozen bristle brushes of different sizes, a bottle of turpentine, a bottle of linseed oil, a palette knife, and a palette. She had also bought me a small easel and half a dozen small sized stretched canvases" (Page 161). In March both Rivkeh and Asher go to the Parkway museum for Asher to study other paintings by other artists. "Early in the afternoon of the third Friday in March, my mother and I went to the Parkway Museum" (Page 166).
Aryeh also plays a significant role in his artistic development. He disagrees with his son for being an artist because Jewish people don't become artists. Aryeh is not impressed when he finds out that his son Asher draws an evil looking Reebe in his Chumash. "I wish you would stop drawing. We were done with that foolishness" (Page 129). Just when Aryeh and Asher's relationship started to come together, it quickly broke down to pieces when Aryeh sees the Brooklyn Crucifixion.
Rivkeh and Aryeh have both been affected by Asher's personal and artistic talent. Aryeh showed Asher that being an artist wasn't a Jewish thing and it showed when Asher stopped painting early in the book. Rivkeh supported Asher and it helped him develop his skills further. Rivkeh's emotional side also helped Asher because it helped him draw paintings like his first major piece of work, the painting of Stalin.