This exhibit of paintings displays contemporary interpretations of Biblical
themes, from both the Old and New Testament.
Although the paintings are based on rigorous precepts of Byzantine
iconography, they are executed in a wealth of bright colors and rhythmic
patterns merging representational and decorative elements. The artist uses grids
of shimmering color to evoke the texture of ancient mosaics. The inscriptions
accompanying each painting illuminate the viewer’s imagination and fix his
inner eye on the represented scene.
After the Flood depicts the moment when Noah’s dove leaves the ark,
the sun burns bright and the flood waters have receded into a shimmering sea,
and all is well with the world again. Garden of Eden is a lush
tropical landscape with Satan next to the tree of knowledge, Adam and Eve having
been banished from Paradise. Annunciation is a classic composition
of the Angel Gabriel visiting the Virgin Mary, rendered in muted pastel tones
and delicate patterns of light and shadow, an image of innocence, expectation
and joy.
The placement of these vibrant, abstract paintings on gray stucco walls in
this gothic chapel is very affecting. It evokes the Byzantine mystic
spirituality which preceded the humanized images of the Italian Renaissance.
Interior Photos by Petro Hrytsyk, NYC
