These images and dozens
These images and dozens more are on loan to the DIA picturing jesus DIA exhibit is a Christmas gift to Detroit By Joyce Wiswell What exactly does Jesus look like? It’s a mystery that has captured the imagination of people for centuries and inspired countless artists. Among the most enduring images are those rendered by the Dutch master Rembrandt, which, just in time for Christmas, are currently on display at the Detroit Institute of Arts. The special exhibit “Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus” began earlier this year at the Louvre in Paris and then spent the summer at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The last stop is the DIA, which conceived of the project. Many of Rembrandt’s works that depict Jesus and biblical events are seen together for the first time ever. The 64 works on display include some 52 small, intimate paintings by Rembrandt and his students as well as other artists’ interpretations of Christ and Christianity. Around 1620, French artist Valentin de Boulogne painted Jesus with an idealized muscular body writhed in pain; about 10 years later, Italian Guido Reni depicted him spotted with blood wearing a crown of thorns. Such works, also included in the DIA exhibit, were typical for the times. Commissioned by the Catholic Church, they were designed to move viewers to emotional responses and prayer. While Rembrandt’s earlier works show a similarly dramatic Jesus, in the 1640s he developed a radically different concept, becoming the first Western artist to present Jesus as vulnerable, humble and meditative. He also presented Jesus as Jewish — another first — likely using young Jewish models in Amsterdam. Though he was the most sought-after artist “Seated Man, Half-Length, at Work,” c. 1648, black chalk on paper. of his time in the very wealthy Dutch Republic, Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) was beset with sorrow over the fact that three of his four children died in infancy, said George Keyes, DIA curator emeritus, who conceived of the exhibit. Rembrandt’s renderings of Jesus “represent profound searching on his own part to understand his own depth of suffering.” While gazing at these original masterpieces, “we become participants in the process of inward contemplative meditation,” Keyes added. Rembrandt’s Jesus is deeply human, a melancholic man who appears deep in thought. Among the highlights of the exhibit is “Supper at Emmaus,” a 1648 painting of the biblical account of Jesus’ appearance at a dinner table after his resurrection. Rembrandt’s use of light and shadow is so profound that it almost seems as if the work uses some trick of backlighting. The oil painting is on loan from the Louvre and this is the first time it has been seen in the United States in 75 years. Despite these famed depictions, Rembrandt seems to have kept an open mind as to Jesus’ appearance, showing the Savior as a fair-haired Northern European late in his career. The exhibit includes thoughtful interpretation and educational signage that helps explain its importance. DIA curators made 14 presentations to group as varied as the Archdiocese of Detroit, Manresa Jesuit Retreat House and the Jewish Federation, said Swarupa Anila, the Head of Interpretation at the DIA, adding, “All those dialogues helped shape what we said, and how we said it.” Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus runs through February 12 at the Detroit Institute of Arts, 5200 Woodward Avenue. The museum is open Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.; Fridays from 10 a.m.–10 p.m.; and Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Tickets to the exhibit are timed and include museum admission and a multimedia tour. Advance purchase is recommended. Adults: , youth (ages 6–17): . Visit www.dia. org or call (866) 342-8497. 30 CHALDEAN NEWS DECEMBER 2011
Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus is the focus of many special events at the DIA, including a symposium from the Building Community initiative of the Chaldean News and the Jewish News. “Religion, Community and the Arts – Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges” takes place on December 4 from 3-6:30 p.m. It includes Jewish, Christian and Muslim scholars lecturing on how individual faiths view the figure of Jesus. Tickets are , which includes the lecture, exhibit and reception. At the 0 level, patrons also get preferred seating for the lecture and an exhibit tour with a curator. Register at DetroitInterFaithCouncil.com. “The Supper at Emmaus” is one of Rembrandt’s most famous works. It shows the moment when two men realize that the person who has been accompanying them on their journey to Emmaus is Jesus Christ, not just some passerby. The server is oblivious to what is happening. DECEMBER 2011 CHALDEAN NEWS 31
