Before literacy was common the church taught the gospel through images. This is especially true during the Renaissance when art flourished in exciting new ways, as is on display right now in the Chazen Art Museum in downtown Madison.
A special exhibition of Renaissance and Baroque Masters will only be on display for three more weeks so I dropped in on Sunday afternoon, just in time for the 2pm docents tour.
The beauty of the art works is incredible, illustrating some of the most important events in the Old Testament and New Testament narratives of God’s care for His people. There are multiple depictions of the Virgin Mary and the baby Jesus, and the docent points out the symbolism that might otherwise be missed in casual observation. It’s particularly interesting to note how many of the artists depict Joseph as somehow detached from the central focus of the picture.
Symbolism in some of the other works connects to the Bible in interesting ways. “A great many of the early paintings include a premonition of what’s going to happen (later in the biblical account),” the docent observes.
In Madison, yes even in Madison, it’s wonderful to see on display such great artistic treasures of the Christian faith. The Chazen’s permanent exhibit also has some beautiful religious art which anyone can see freely, there’s no admission charge. But the current display, Offering of the Angels: Paintings and Tapestries from the Uffizi Gallery, is a great opportunity to see some of the best art in the world from two of the finest periods of artistic expression in history. More on the display in this report from Mary Uhler of the Catholic Herald.
King James Exhibit
Another unique exhibition is arriving at the Verona Public library in another week: Manifold Greatness: The Creation and Afterlife of the King James Bible. It will be on display from November 14 to January 11, 2013. This exhibition, organized by the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., and the American Library Association Public Programs Office, tells the story of the incredible influence of this one particular translation of the English Bible. The King James Bible marked its 400th anniversary in 2011. The Verona Public Library is located at 500 Silent Street, on the east side of Verona.
I am currently reading a book about the influence of the Bible written by Vishal Mangalwadi, a recent visitor to Madison. His book The Book That Made Your World, How the Bible became the Soul of Western Civilization, explains why civilization flourished in medieval Europe so that particular region of the world leap-frogged ahead of every other region in development. Discovering how this one book has shaped our lives is a story worth learning.