"Painted on Earth, " an exhibition
of more than 20 works by contemporary artist David Newman, will be on view through Friday, Dec. 19 at the Joseph Slifka Center for Jewish Life at Yale,
80 Wall St.
The paintings in the exhibit represent two very different periods in the artist's career. His early work is represented by 10 black-and-white paintings that focus on sacred texts and their interpretation. These artworks -- which incorporate images from antiquity, the Renaissance and the modern era -- have been cited
by critics for their "ferocious intensity" and "considerable wit."
In an essay on the artist, Geoffrey Hartman, Sterling Professor of English and Comparative Literature, wrote: "David Newman has added ominousness to beauty in representing biblical texts. His color-bleached pictures express not only wonder at the Hebrew Bible but also the strangeness, or estrangement, of that book."
In addition, "Painted on Earth" includes 13 new works by the artist. These brightly colored paintings contain images of the earth as seen from outer space, Renaissance architecture, Indonesian temple art, fetuses in utero and other elements of the natural world. In the catalogue
for the exhibition, David G. Roskies, professor of Jewish literature at The Jewish Theological Seminary, notes that the works "capture ecstatic and playful moments" and create "an elusive place which delights in being protean. To see so many worlds ... is to be filled with a sense of exuberance."
Mr. Newman will be the featured guest at a reception being held at the Slifka
Center 5:30-7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 4.
He will also be on hand for an Artist-in-Residence program noon-4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 9, and will present a gallery talk at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 7. All these events are free and open to the public.
The Slifka Center's gallery hours are
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday and
10 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday.
The Joseph Slifka Center for Jewish Life at Yale is home to Yale Hillel and Young Israel House at Yale. It offers religious, cultural, intellectual and social programming, as well as concerts, art exhibits and holiday celebrations, and is open to Yale students, faculty and staff, as well as to the Greater New Haven community.
For information about the exhibit or the Slifka Center, call 432-1134.