Text and Art Brochure
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Text & Art New Readings of Biblical Stories Through Art Instructor: Dr. Sharon Gershoni • Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son; • Jonah = the only prophet who runs away from his job; • God’s passivity in the murder of Abel… How have artists over the centuries understood and represented to the Biblical stories we all think we know? How have the stories been used to comment on humanity and on society? And how is their respective historical time reflected in these interpretations? In this series of workshops we read traditional Biblical stories and review over a millennium of Jewish, Christian and Muslim artwork, to delve into these and other stories. We examine the gestures and facial expressions of the characters in the pictures, which moment in the story the artist chose to depict, and which characters are highlighted, or sometimes, missing. Reviewing the ways in which artists have commented on these stories offers a revitalized and inspiring view of Biblical tales. For more information, please contact: Dr. Sharon Gershoni: [email protected]
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Transcript of Text and Art Brochure
Text%&%Art%%New%Readings%of%Biblical%Stories%%Through%Art%%!
Instructor:* Dr.*Sharon*Gershoni*!
!
• Abraham’s*willingness*to*sacrifice*his*son;**
• Jonah*=*the*only*prophet*who*runs*away*from*his*job;*• God’s*passivity*in*the*murder*of*Abel…*How!have!artists!over!the!centuries!understood!and!represented!to!the!
Biblical!stories!we!all!think!we!know?!How!have!the!stories!been!used!to!comment!on!humanity!and!on!society?!And!how!is!their!respective!
historical!time!reflected!in!these!interpretations?!!
In!this!series!of!workshops!we!read!traditional!Biblical!stories!and!
review!over!a!millennium!of!Jewish,!Christian!and!Muslim!artwork,!to!
delve!into!these!and!other!stories.!We!examine!the!gestures!and!facial!
expressions!of!the!characters!in!the!pictures,!which!moment!in!the!
story!the!artist!chose!to!depict,!and!which!characters!are!highlighted,!or!
sometimes,!missing.!Reviewing!the!ways!in!which!artists!have!
commented!on!these!stories!offers!a!revitalized!and!inspiring!view!of!
Biblical!tales.!!
For*more*information,*please*contact:!Dr.*Sharon*Gershoni:*[email protected]*
TEXT AND ART Dr. Sharon Gershoni 1
Ztelem&Elohim:"The"Image"Of"God""
“Thou!shalt!not!make!unto!
thee!any!graven!image,!or!
any!likeness!of!anything!that!
is!in!heaven!above…”!Exodus!
20:4
The!second!commandment!
forbids!the!visual!portrayal!
of!God,!considering!it!an!act!
of!idolatry.!Synagogues!
contain!no!artwork!depicting!
God. And!yet!both!Judaism!and!Christianity!did!find!
ways!to!represent!God,!both!
verbally!and!visually.!!
How!has!God!been!perceived!
and!represented!over!the!
centuries?!Where!do!the!
images!we!have!of!God!come!
from?!!
In!this!workshop!we!analyze!
visual!and!written!traditions!
from!wall!paintings!to!
modern!and!contemporary!
art,!and!consider!the!
question,!“What!does!God!
look!like?”!
TEXT AND ART Dr. Sharon Gershoni 2
The"Binding"of"Isaac"or"the"Sacrifice"of"Abraham""
Did!Isaac!know!that!he!was!
walking!towards!his!death?!
How!did!Abraham!feel!before!
the!sacrifice?!What!was!
Abraham’s!reaction!when!
the!angel!stayed!his!hand?!
What!happened!when!
Abraham!returned!home?!
Are!we!sure!that!it!was!Isaac!
who!was!bound?!!
The!binding!of!Abraham’s!
beloved!son!is!one!of!the!
most!primal!stories!shared!
by!Judaism,!Christianity!and!
Islam.!Each!of!these!
traditions!has!presented!
diverse!textual!and!visual!
representations!of!this!story!
over!the!centuries.!In!this!
workshop,!we!view!Egyptian,!
Jewish,!Christian!and!Muslim!
art!from!13B.C.!to!2011.!!
TEXT AND ART Dr. Sharon Gershoni 3
Cain"vs."Abel:"The"first"murder"
Did!God!play!a!role!in!the!
murder!of!Abel?!Did!Cain!
understand!what!murder!(or!
even!death)!was,!when!he!
killed!his!brother?!Was!Cain!
punished,!or!rewarded?!!
In!this!workshop,!through!
art!and!text,!we!explore!the!
responsibility!of!each!
character!X!Adam!and!Eve,!
Cain,!Abel,!and!even!God!X!for!
the!first!murder!ever!
committed.!We!will!focus!
particularly!on!ways!in!
which!the!story!has!changed!
through!history!and!how!it!
becomes!relevant!to!the!
moral!challenges!of!our!own!
time.!
TEXT AND ART Dr. Sharon Gershoni 4
Jonah"?"Journey"to"the"self""
Jonah!is!the!only!prophet!
who!spoke!to!a!people!that!
attended!to!his!words!and!
repented.!And!yet,!he!chose!
to!escape!his!calling,!even!at!
the!risk!of!his!own!life.!!
The!book!of!Jonah!is!a!story!
of!human!failure,!personal!
growth,!and!a!journey!
towards!compassion.!!
In!this!workshop!we!read!the!!
traditional!text,!and!explore!
Jewish,!Christian!and!Muslim!
art,!which!paints!a!vivid!
picture!of!Jonah’s!living!
conditions!in!the!belly!of!the!
big!fish,!and!reflect!on!the!
piety!of!the!gentile!sailors!
and!the!people!of!Nineveh.!!
