Catholic Things

(above) “Judah” by Francisco de Zurbarán.

A Haydn oratorio, a Bruckner symphony, the drawings of Michelangelo, baroque oratorios, a 16th century Aztec feather-work recreation of a Netherlands devotional print – these are objects and performances that you could have seen or heard in New York in just the last few months. But what do we know about the religious influences and the culture in which they arose? Certainly the local Catholic establishment is of no assistance in learning more ( even if it’s aware of these events in the first place). The secular authorities – the curators, the writers of program notes and the media – can, on occasion, be much more helpful in rediscovering these links. Yet their analysis all too often focusses on the personality of the artist, on narrow issues of history, technique or ideology or on the “general human.”

In this regard, I’d thought I’d mention a couple of small exhibitions at the Frick collection that a fan of “Catholic culture” might find interesting. In contrast to the crowded “blockbusters” found further north on Fifth Avenue, the exhibitions at the Frick generally show one or several selected paintings from places one would very likely never visit. For a hefty admission fee one can contemplate such works ideally displayed and in a peaceful environment.

(Above) “St Jerome” by Veronese.

Two exceptional works by Veronese have left Italy for the first time. They are from a rarely visited church in Murano. If you are like me, you may have visited this island’s tourist trap glass emporia but never ventured into the local churches or seen the art they contain. The subject of one painting is familiar – St. Jerome in the desert – that of the other less so(at least to me): St Agatha in prison visited by St Peter. The color is of course magnificent – and every detail isn’t just “decorative” but derives from the legend of these two saints. As the exhibition notes point out, it is testimony to the superabundance of creativity in late sixteenth century Venice that one of the the main artists of the period painted two such major works for a small chapel on an outlying island.

Also on display is a cycle of 17th century paintings of Jacob and his sons by Francisco de Zurbarán – reunited for the first time in ages. The artist has shows great familiarity with the e biblical texts describing the history and destiny of these brethren. Zurbarán has given each of them a distinctive identity with bizarre costumes and attributes. I frankly found these works less successful than many other works of this artist I have seen. I would guess that assistants had a large share in executing such a massive project. But what is indeed interesting is the subject matter. For, at that time, some were of the opinion that the American Indians were descendants of the lost tribes of Israel. Depictions of Jacob and his sons – perhaps this one too – were created for patrons in the New World. So let’s not laugh at the Mormons – others had strange ideas of pre-Colombian history several centuries before them!

Of course, if curators feel constrained in giving full credit to the Catholic Church, they are not so inhibited in repeating the platitudes of our currently reigning ideology. Based one one incident in the 18th century, the Zurbarán paintings – artwork commissioned in 17th century Spain – are “reimagined” as symbols of religious tolerance and diversity. That’s life….

For more on these exhibitions see HERE. You only have till tomorrow to see the Veronese paintings!