Judith-Catalogue_160915-Final-Version

110 Pages·2015·3.44 MB·English

Heroine of a Thousand Pieces:
The Judith Mosaics of Lilian Broca
Lilian Broca • Sheila Campbell • Angela Clarke
Adolfo Roitman • Yosef Wosk
With a Foreword by Rosa Graci
Judith is mosaic in the midst of metaphor:
some understand her as literal,
others as allegory,
while the remaining breakers of iconic images
assert her never having existed at all.
Heroine of a Thousand Pieces:
The Judith Mosaics of
LILIAN BROCA
Lilian Broca
Sheila Campbell
Angela Clarke
Adolfo Roitman
Yosef Wosk
With a Foreword by Rosa Graci
Heroine of a Thousand Pieces:
The Judith Mosaics of Lilian Broca
November 12, 2015 – March 31, 2016
Il Museo at The Italian Cultural Centre
3075 Slocan Street
Vancouver, BC V5M 3E4
T604.430.3337 EXT230
F604.430.3331
[email protected]
www.iccvancouver.ca
Gallery Hours
Tuesday to Saturday 10:00AM–5:00PM
May 5 – July 4, 2016
Joseph D. Carrier Art Gallery
Columbus Centre
901 Lawrence Avenue West
Toronto, ON M6A 1C3
CREDITS
T416.789.7011 EXT245
The Queen Esther Mosaic Series,
F416.789.3951
Private Collection.
[email protected]
www.villacharities.com 49. Plate 3: David,Marcantonio Raimondi,
Rijksmuseum Amsterdam.
Gallery Hours
Monday to Friday 10:00AM–5:00PM 49. Plate 5: Lucretia,Marcantonio
Raimondi, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam.
49. Plate 6: Judith as Salome,The Princes
© 2015 Lilian Broca, Sheila Campbell,
Czartoryski Foundation, Krakow, Poland.
Angela Clarke, Adolfo Roitman, Yosef
Wosk. All rights reserved. No part of 50. Plate 7: Untitled,The Koerner Ceramics
this catalogue may be reproduced or Gallery, Museum of Anthropology,
transmitted in any form by any means Vancouver,  Canada. Photo by Kyla Bailey.
without permission in writing from Photography (all completed works):
Il Museo. Ted Clarke, image this photographics inc. Front Cover
Published by Il Museo at the Italian Design and production: Detail: Judith Seducing Holofernes,2014
Cultural Centre. Linda Coe Graphic Design Limited Title Page
ISBN 978-0-9948658-0-9 Printed in Canada by Still Creek Press Detail: Judith’s Revenge,2015
Contents
List of Illustrations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .v
Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vii
Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ix
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xi
1
Judith in History, Literature
and Theology
CHAPTER ONE Adolfo Roitman
The Meaning of the Book of Judith:
History, Literature and Theology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
CHAPTER TWO Yosef Wosk
Judith as Literary Mosaic:
An Archetype for the Ages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
CHAPTER THREE Angela Clarke
Fragments of Perception:
Judith and Moral Ambiguity in the
Christian Tradition and Decorative Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
2
Art Historical and
Aesthetic Traditions
THE JUDITH MOSAICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
CHAPTER FOUR Lilian Broca
Sorting Through the Pieces:
Constructing the Legendary Heroine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
CHAPTER FIVE Sheila Campbell
Beyond Sound Bites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83
Contributors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91
The Flight to Bethulia,24 x 15.5" (61 X39.4CM). Graphite and ink on vellum, 2015.
iv
List of Illustrations
Section One
Detail from Judith Meeting Holofernes 2
Sketch for Judith Meeting Holofernes 12
Sketch for Judith Seducing Holofernes 12
Sketch for Judith Praying in the Desert 13
Sketch for Judith Displaying Her Trophy 36
Statue of Judith, Donatello 48
Maiolica plate of Judith as David 49
Engraving of David, Marcantonio Raimondi 49
Maiolica plate of Judith as Lucretia 49
Engraving of Lucretia, Marcantonio Raimondi 49
Maiolica plate of Judith as Solome 49
Earthenware plate, Untitled, Andrea Negroponte 50
Dinner Party, Judy Chicago 50
Section Two
Detail from Judith 54
Judith Meeting Bethulia Elders 56,88
Judith Praying in the Desert 57
Judith Meeting Holofernes 58,88
Judith Seducing Holofernes 60, 88
Judith’s Revenge 62,88
The Flight to Bethulia 63,89
Judith Displaying Her Trophy 64,89
Queen Esther Seeking Permission to Speak 66
Queen Esther with Mordechai 67, 85
Rough sketch for Judith Meeting Holofernes 69
v
Rough sketch for Judith Praying in the Desert 70
Painted cartoon in progress for Judith Seducing Holofernes 70
Painted cartoon in progress for Judith Meeting Holofernes 71
Painted cartoon in progress for Judith Praying in the Desert 72
Drawing, And They Lived Happily Ever After 82
Drawing, Kiss!, Kiss!, Kiss! 82
Drawing, The Trickster 82
Mixed media, Lilith and Eve 83
Graphite, collage, An Encounter with Lilith 83
Queen Esther 86
Esther’s Offering 86
Queen Esther’s Banquet 87
Haman Leading Mordechai on the Royal Horse 87
Queen Esther with Mordechai 87
vi
Foreword
The Joseph D. Carrier Art Gallery is honoured to display Heroine of a
Thousand Pieces: The Judith Mosaics of Lilian Broca,a companion piece
and follow-up to the artist’s successful mosaic cycle, the Queen Esther
Mosaics.
The new series takes another in-depth look at female heroism from
a unique vantage point quite dissimilar to that of Esther but one that
broadens our concept of how the ancient world defined female virtue
and heroism. Judith is a very different woman from Esther, and Broca
clearly demonstrates, contrary to popular notions, that the definition
of female heroism and strength in the ancient world was not limited,
as previously maintained.
Broca’s 2006 solo exhibition of Queen Esther mosaics was received
very well both by the public and by the media. The artist’s large-scale
mosaics and preparatory painted sketches were admirably suited to our
circular space, allowing viewers to walk a purposeful path through the
gallery and meditate in an unbroken process upon the story of Esther
unfolding before them. The Joseph D. Carrier Art Gallery welcomes
the opportunity to provide visitors again with a unique visual experience
through Broca’s Judith series.
Mosaics constitute an ancient and very durable art form dating back to
the eighth century BCE. Rome and the territories under its vast empire
encompassed the geographical regions of Italy, Britain and North Africa.
In each location under the empire, extensive archaeological investigation
has brought to light a wide and beautiful array of floor mosaics. Ancient
writers described this art as lapide pingere,painting in stone. These
pieces, however, were not just decorative trifles enhancing the domestic
space of the wealthy. Instead, mosaics often recounted important stories
from the ancient world, providing us with a significant visual perspective
on myth, religion, theatre, sea life and human sexuality. Even popular
heroes such as Alexander the Great had their exploits rendered and
recorded on the floors and walls of ancient Roman dwellings. As histo-
rians and curators, we are deeply grateful for the insightful perspective
mosaics provide on the life, customs and even moral preoccupations of
the ancient world.
vii
In the Middle Ages, owing to the influence of Byzantium, Venice
became the centre of mosaic art production. There, Greek artists organ-
ized schools and taught the Venetians the skills required to produce
fine works within the genre. The city maintained a flourishing glass
industry dating from the thirteenth century CEand possibly earlier.
Since then, Venice has cornered the market on glass production to such
a degree that any practitioner of the art is at some point required to
travel there to obtain the tools of the trade. It is from Venice that Broca
acquires the raw materials for her work. With glass obtained from the
historic Orsoni atelier, she works with the very same palette and mat-
erials that other master mosaicists have used. These masterpieces can
be found in locations as diverse as Gaudi’s churches in Spain, West-
minster Abbey in London and of course the Vatican in Rome. As this
exhibition will show, Broca’s mosaics fit within an Italian artistic
tradition, from the very materials she uses to the epic themes of her work
and, most importantly, through her mastery of the art form. Broca is
clearly a mosaic maestra, a living treasure, a modern interpreter of an
ancient genre.
It is for this reason that Lilian Broca, a Canadian artist residing in
Vancouver, was invited to exhibit at the 2003 Florence Biennale inter-
national exhibition. At the culmination of this arts festival, Broca was
awarded the prestigious Italian honour, the Lorenzo Il Magnifico Gold
Medal. As well, in 2012, Broca was one of a select group of artists
invited to exhibit at the Clauiano Art Exhibition in Friuli, Italy. This is
the premier international gallery of contemporary mosaic art, dedicated
to exhibiting the work of the greatest masters practising today. Broca’s
reputation is not just confined to Canada and Italy. She has also been
recognized in Turkey, and in 2013 she was invited to exhibit her work in
Gaziantep at the Zeugma Mosaic Museum. Finally, as a testament to
the compelling nature of her work and artistic vision, a documentary
of Broca’s life was filmed in 2012 and since released it has received
numerous awards at film festivals throughout the United States.
We are excited and proud to have Lilian Broca’s latest monumental
mosaic works on exhibit in the Joseph D. Carrier Art Gallery. To the
gallery’s visitors, Broca’s work will demonstrate that this ancient art
form has a vital role to play in the international landscape of the con-
temporary art world.
Rosa Graci
Curator, Joseph D. Carrier Art Gallery
Toronto, 2015
viii