Last spring an art history class inspired Noga La'or '97 to examine the artistic representation of different religious groups. The result is an exhibition in the Allen Memorial Art Museum titled "The Blessed and the Damned: Jesuits and Jews in the Visual Arts."
By comparing representations of Christianity and Judaism through depictions of the Jesuits, a Catholic religious order founded in 1540, and their Jewish contemporaries, the exhibition illustrates how dogma was disseminated through visual imagery during the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the Baroque period. It also examines how images were used to communicate religious views and ideologies, both positive and negative.
"The basic theme of the exhibition is that works of art are often used to communicate certain beliefs about religion," said La'or, a curatorial intern in the AMAM. The exhibition features works on paper as well as paintings and sculpture. Artists in the exhibit include Martin Schongauer, Daniel Seghers, Jacopo Ligozzi, and Ciro Ferri.
An art history major from Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey, La'or sought assistance and guidance from Marjorie (Betsy) Wieseman, acting museum director and curator of western art before 1850. "Most people don't realize the work that goes into an excellent exhibition," said Wieseman, who worked with La'or for 10 months to set up the exhibition.
La'or said that the messages portrayed by many works of art are often taken for granted, to the detriment of scholarship and society in general. "It was my goal to get people to look at the works in a totally different way. It's important to understand that even today, in terms of pop culture and mainstream culture, images can often portray very strong ideological beliefs," she said.
Student-curated exhibitions are an excellent learning experience for students, and they can be equally instructive for the professionals who assist them, according to Wieseman. "Students can come up with great ideas when they examine a work of art. Sometimes they see things from an entirely new perspective," she said.
Having lived through the work of organizing an exhibition, La'or is still enthusiastic about the opportunity she's been given. "There are few people who get the chance to do this, and the fact that an undergraduate is given that chance is an amazing and unique opportunity," she said.
"Jesuits and Jews" continued on view through June 1.
--Joshua Ritter '99
Return to the ATS-May/June 1997 Table of Contents