Reviews Blog – Art

Through my membership in the Jewish Art Salon I was invited to attend a tour of the Graphic Details exhibit at the Yeshiva University Museum by the 3 curators involved Zachary Levine, Michael Kaminer, and Sarah Lightman.  The exhibit displayed the work of 18 artists (Vanessa Davis; Bernice Eisenstein; Sarah Glidden; Miriam Katin; Aline Kominsky-Crumb; Miss Lasko-Gross; Sarah Lazarovic; Miriam Libicki; Sarah Lightman; Diane Noomin; Corinne Pearlman; Trina Robbins; Racheli Rotner; Sharon Rudahl; Laurie Sandell; Ariel Schrag; Lauren Weinstein; and Ilana Zeffren).

This exhibit about the artist’s personal stories reminds me of my first experience with reading the Torah.  About 9 years ago, I read the Torah cover to cover in English for the first time ever in my life, before that I had read or learned about pieces here and there but never actually read the whole text.  Initially I was shocked to read some of the details of the stories of the Torah, including:  Lot and his daughters, Yehuda and Tamar, Joseph and Potipher’s Wife, Jacob being tricked into marring Leah before Rachel, and David and Bathsheva.  All of the stories involved sexual relationships and went into more detail than I expected to find in the Torah.  I approached my Rabbi and asked him for some kind of explanation.  First, he advised me to read the commentaries that explain the text, but after he explained that the Torah is true therefore it could not hide the truth.  The brave women who created these comics had a truth that needed to be shared.  It is a must see and read type of exhibit.

I had the pleasure of viewing the “Myths and Individuals” exhibit by Patricia Watwood at the Forbes Galleries on Feb 22, 2012.  Her technique combined with the purpose of her paintings called out  to me in a very unique way.  The technique unquestionably amazing. As an artist, I can be critical of other artists work or I stand back and take in every moment, then go close and look at details. I found her paintings purely human, I could not find flaw in them.   Watwood’s written message about her work also stood out to me, she connects the subject of her paintings to the world.  One painting in particular “Pandora” is a great example of the type of narrative story she tells.  She writes about her work, “I want viewers to feel validated – that our daily life has some higher meaning.” The message I got from her work is that one person matters and the whole world matters, human life is important.  I like that message.

find out more about her and view her paintings at her website http://www.patriciawatwood.com/wp/