Lonnie Holley
American
Born in Birmingham, AL (1950)
"Hungry Man's Cross"
Mixed Media
2006
Happy Wednesday, My Lovelies!
Recently I went on a field trip to the Birmingham Museum of Art with several of my sorority sisters to see the Embodying Faith: Imagining Jesus Through the Ages Exhibit. One of my sisters Holly, a docent at the museum, did an excellent job as a guide.
The exhibit is comprised mostly of works from the museum's archives. It features art depicting the life of Christ from the annunciation to the ascension.
Here are a few of my favorite pieces:
Bicci di Lorenzo
Italian
Born in Florence, Italy (1373)
"Nativity"
about 1410 - 1415
Tempura On Panel
Clementine Hunter
American
Born in Natchitoches, LA (1886)
"Pregnant Nativity"
1970
Oil On Wall Board
I love the angels with their hair flying upwards in the wind!
Jacopo d'Arcangelo del Sellaio
Italian
Born Florence, Italy 1441
"Christ with Instruments of the Passion"
About 1485
Tempura On Panel
It's common to see the instruments used to torture Christ in art. In the painting above the thorn of crowns, nails, whip, and sponge with vinegar are featured.
Sadao Watanabe
Japanese
Born in Tokyo (1913)
"Last Supper"
1973
Hand-colored Stencil Print
Watanabe was a Christian, and as he shared the story of Christ, he used images that spoke to his audience. This piece features Jesus and the disciples with Japanese features and a predominant fish on their supper table.
Albrecht Dürer
German
Born in Nuremberg (1471)
"Descent from the Cross"
1509-1511
Woodcut
The exhibit features several pieces by Dürer. He is one of my favorite artists, certainly my favorite of the Northern Renaissance. I love his self-portrait (below) because he knew he was "all that!" The self portrait was painted in 1500 when he was around 28. During the time he painted this, artists often depicted Christ facing directly front. This was NOT a part of the exhibit! I just want to share!
Sybil Gibson
American
Born in Dora, Alabama (1908)
"A Group of Disciples Witnessed the Ascension of Jesus"
About 1972 - 1986
Tempura On Paper Bag
Gibson was born in my home county, and she started painting when she retired from teaching school. Her process was to wet a paper bag and draw/paint on the wet surface with chalk.
Although this is a small exhibit, it's definitely worth the trip. It runs through Easter.
Until next time...
Blessings!
Ricki Jill
What an eclectic display of art.
ReplyDeleteMy favorites are Hungry Man's Cross and Last Supper.
I enjoyed this. Thank you for sharing. I would like to see the woodcut up close. I am sure it was amazing.
ReplyDeleteTempura on Paper Bag, have you tried it?
There is some amazing art work there, Jill. I loved the Japanese painting and the self-portrait at the end. I liked them all but those two jumped out at me. Oh and I liked the woodcut, too. Love the idea of wet chalk on a paper bag! xo Diana
ReplyDeleteThat Descent from the Cross -superb!
ReplyDeleteI haven't been to the museum in ages, I must remedy that! I love the last painting on the paper bag!
ReplyDeleteJenna
Oh My! I would have bought a poster of the Watanabe! And I adore the Durer portrait -- he was rocking it, wasn't it? I love art with a religious theme -- not so much the crucifixion scenes but the rest of it. These are beautiful; I would have loved this.
ReplyDeleteOh I really want to get by and see this, I haven't been in awhile myself. So interesting!
ReplyDelete