March Issue 2001
North Carolina Museum of Art, in Raleigh,
NC, Presents Art for Holy Days
Easter And Passover Works Are Featured In European And Judaic
Galleries
The earth renews itself splendidly each spring, and the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, NC, offers an equally splendid cultural celebration of the season, with many works that interpret the Easter and Passover stories from different angles and different periods in art history.
The European Galleries on the Museum's main level feature Crucifixion scenes by Italian artists ranging from the 14th century to the 17th, including Mariotto di Nardo and Puccio Capanna. A bronze sculpture from around 1670-80 depicting the deposed Christ is attributed to Giuseppe Mazzuoli. And an early 1620s painting by Flemish Baroque painter Gerard Seghers (1591-1651), The Denial of St. Peter, portrays the disciple at the moment when he utters one of his three denials of Christ. The painter's dramatic use of candlelight and shadow shows the strong influence of Caravaggio and his Italian followers.
The Museum's many Passover-related works are housed in a permanent gallery devoted to Jewish ceremonial art - a rarity in an American art museum. Opened in 1983 and developed under the guidance of Dr. Abram Kanof, a recognized authority on Jewish art and symbolism, the Judaic Gallery presents ceremonial objects reflecting Jewish culture and traditions of the Middle East, Europe, and North America.
The objects in the Judaic Gallery exhibit a wide variety of artistic styles, ranging from the Islamic-inspired design of a North American Torah Case to the Gothic and Baroque designs favored in Central and Eastern Europe. The Museum's collection also features a number of ceremonial objects in bold modern styles. Many of the works are made of silver - shined to a high gloss, or spun into intricate filigree patterns.
The Judaic Gallery's works are rich in symbolism that influences Western art and civilization to this day. The gallery contains objects associated with four different categories: the synagogue, the home, festivals and holidays, and ceremonies marking events in the Jewish life cycle. For example, the principal celebration of the Jewish festival of Passover is a ritualized family meal known as a seder. Among the Judaic Gallery's treasures is an elegant seder set by Ludwig Wolpert, a German-trained silversmith renowned for introducing modernist design to the creation of Jewish ceremonial objects.
The North Carolina Museum of Art invites visitors to tour the Judaic Gallery with one of the Museum's trained docents. Visitors can learn about the beautiful ceremonial objects in the collection and how they relate to art, religious traditions and everyday life; hear about the ancient holidays and festivals central to the Jewish faith; consider the importance of rituals in the Jewish life cycle; and learn how the gallery's objects are used. Tours can be scheduled at least three weeks in advance by calling 919/839-6262, ext. 2103.
For further information check our NC Institutional
Gallery listings or call the museum at 919/839-6262 or on the
web at (http://www.ncartmuseum.org).
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