Lectures

Abraham is a dominant figure whom Jewish, Christian and Muslim believers regard as the founding patriarch of many nations. His adventures on the way to a promised land, from the city of Ur in Sumeria (in the south of present-day Iraq) to the outskirts of Egypt, and his wrangling with Sarah, Hagar, and Lot, inspired great masters of art, among them Rubens, Caravaggio and Chagall.

The Scroll of Ester has all the twists and turns of a fairy tale: a powerful king, a sumptuous feast, a girl's rise from orphan to queen, betrayal, entrapment, and deliverance. Beyond its power to amuse and comfort the Jewish people in their long exile, the story has inspired the imagination of the great artists from around the world: from Rembrandt to Chagall, Michaelangelo to Rubens.

Come see the scroll unfold before your eyes in Spellbinding Images: Queen Vashti refusing to obey Ahashverosh, the feast of Esther, the triumph of Mordechai and the hanging of Haman.

This course will present Art inspired by deceptions, conspiracies, and outrageously public scandals in the court of the King David: from his affair with Bathsheba to the murder of his rebellious son Absalom. The power struggles between him, his supporters and his enemies are tightly intertwined with the intrigues between him, his wives and his concubines.

Imagine this: “and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.” How would the great masters of Art take a moment that has been painted thousands of times before, and turn it to reveal something new, deeply personal and original?

This course, designed for Art lovers as well as for students of the bible, will present Art inspired by the daring rise to power of the most compelling character in the bible. He fought heroic battles, lived as an outlaw for several years, and escaped death by pretending to be a madman. Through sheer cunning and political skill, he reached for the crown and eventually established the most enduring dynasty in Israel – the House of David.

The stories about him translate not only to the traditional works of Art – oil paintings, watercolors, etchings, sculptures – but also to stained glass windows, frescos, coins, postal stamps, and architectural elements. These works reflect the tremendous curiosity David invokes in artists from around the world.