Rembrandt, Einstein and the graphic arts
A top five list of art — and books — to see and peruse in the month of June
Jessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center
It’s that last month before the long summer break, just as everyone dissolves into flipflop-shuffling, shorts-wearing, wanna-be vacationers.
That may make it the right time to take in some art.
It’s not that a work of art can’t be appreciated in shorts and flipflops, but summer brings that desire for the pool and beach, and less of a yen for museum galleries and art appreciation. (Although it’s worthwhile noting that museum galleries are air-conditioned and a lot less crowded than the pool.)
In any case, we’ve gathered here a collection of artworks worth seeing in the next while, as well as some outdoor sights best enjoyed during this sunny, lie-in-the-grass time of year.
1) The Israel Museum recently welcomed a Rembrandt masterpiece, on special loan from the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, for the museum’s 50th anniversary year. “Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem,” painted by the young Rembrandt in 1630 during his Leiden period, is displayed alongside the Museum’s own Rembrandt masterpiece, “St. Peter in Prison,” painted in 1631.
There’s 650-year gap between the events depicted in each masterpiece, but they were painted a year apart, and used the same model. According to curator Shlomit Steinberg, they both reflect events that took place in Jerusalem, near Mount Moriah, and both show a great personal crisis with potentially explosive implications. Rembrandt worked with the same model as Jan Lievens, his studio partner, an old man who may have been a neighbor, said Steinberg. The exhibition includes examples of Rembrandt’s prints on Biblical and New Testament themes and oils by his teacher Peter Lastman, as well as works by students who followed in Rembrandt’s path.
2) A 2.5-meter-tall (8.2-foot), 350-kilo, bronze statue of Albert Einstein was unveiled this week on the lush grass in front of the National Library on the Edmond J. Safra campus of Hebrew University, also known as the Givat Ram campus. Situated next to the mathematics and physics departments, the statue, designed by Russian sculptor Georgy Frangulyan and initiated by a team of philanthropists, has “a way of looking at the students walking by,” said Michal Mor, curator of art for Hebrew University.
Frangulyan said he has always had an image of Einstein in his head, dating back to a portrait he had sitting on his elementary school desk. When he was invited to design the sculpture, the introduction was made with the university, which was part of Einstein’s Zionist vision, commented Professor Hanoch Gutfreund, chair of the Hebrew University’s Academic Committee for the Einstein Archives, his “most prominent Zionist act.”
Einstein was a founder of Hebrew University, gave the first scientific lecture at the university, and willed his personal archives and the rights to his works to the university, including his publication of the Theory of Relativity, E=mc2.
The bronze statue ended up being larger than expected, said Mor, and is one of 500 sculptures in the public spaces of the university’s five campuses. “That’s okay,” she said. “Students will sit in its shade.”
3) Try some multimedia art with the seventh annual Jerusalem International Light Festival, a nine-day spectacle of light in and around the Old City. Open each night from 8 pm until 11 pm, there are more than 30 art pieces made by artists from Israel and around the world, focusing on light. This year the festival involves all the residents and shopkeepers of the Old City, with lampshades created by children living in the Old City on display inside the ancient walls. Jerusalem Light Festival, June 3-11, 8-11 pm, Old City.
Wednesday also marks the start of Hebrew Book Week, held in Jerusalem at the First Station compound. All of Israel’s major publishers have stands selling books, and there are also book signings and readings throughout the week. Saturday night, June 6, brings Books ‘n’ Beer, an evening of beer, books and good music, 9-11 pm, free entry. Hebrew Book Week, June 3-13, 6 pm – 11 pm Sunday-Wednesday, 6 pm – 12 am Thursday, 8:30 pm – 12 am Saturday night.
The Tel Aviv Museum of Art will hold a book sale and giveaway in the museum sculpture garden on Saturday night, June 13 of Hebrew Book Week and will give away old and new art catalogs from the museum’s collection. Tel Aviv Museum of Art, 27 Shaul Hamelech, 6-10 pm.
4) The classic graphic designs of Otte Wallish, representing the early advertising slogans and images of the Zionist endeavor, are on exhibit at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. Wallish, who was born in what is today’s Czech Republic, came to Palestine during the Fifth Aliyah and opened an ad agency in Tel Aviv. His watermelons, agricultural workers and Israeli flags created a visual character for the emerging state and defined certain historical moments. “Otte Wallish – The Face of Land and Nation,” Prints and Drawings Gallery, Herta and Paul Amir Building, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, through October 5.
5) Salivate over some of Israel’s best food photography at Culinary Doc, the country’s biggest food photography exhibit yet, part of the Culinary 2015 event. The works of ten food photographers will be on display, including the Instagram shots of chef Eyal Shani. June 8-9, Dan Panorama Tel Aviv.
