Saturday, December 24, 2022

Merry Christmas 2022!

 


Geergen tot Sint Jans, The Nativity at Night, x. 1490
National Gallery, London



Sandro Botticelli, The Nativity of Jesus, c. 1473-75
Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia, SC




Georges de la Tour, Nativity, c. 1645
Musée du Louvre, Paris


Merry Christmas -

Wishing you comfort and joy at Christmas and always -

And may peace prevail among us

With love,
Beth and the New York Arts Exchange



Sunday, December 18, 2022

Judith and the Fifth Day of Hanukah - an oldie but goodie

 


Dear Friends, 

Happy Hanukah!  It's the fifth night of this 8-day celebration.  Below is an "oldie" (a previous blog post) on the connection between Judith and Hanukkah - 

May we all be inspired to advocate for peace in anyway we can, as Judith demonstrated around 6th century BCE.

Wishing you a joyous and peaceful celebration, and whether you are Jewish or not, indulge in potato pancakes (latkes) and/or jelly donuts (sufganiot)  - be part of this delicious tradition.




Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith and her Maidservant, 1612-3

And, once again, the retelling of Judith and Holofernes in art.  Judith is celebrated on the fifth night of Hanukah, because she too saved the Jews (like the Maccabees) during the Neo-Babylonian Era under Nebuchadnezzar II.





Alessandro Botticelli, Judith and Her Maidservant, 1472

Caravaggio, Judith Slaying Holofernes, 1598-99

Cristofano Allori, Judith and the Head of Holofernes, 1613

Valentin de Boulogne, Judith Slaying Holofernes, 1626

Donatello, Judith and Holofernes, 1460

Johann Adam Boller, Hanukkiah, c. 1705-32, 
Jewish Museum, NY, gift of Frida Schiff Warburg


And here is a video created by the Jewish Museum in NY that tells the story of Hanukah.

Best wishes/Chag Sameach,
With love and hugs,
Beth

Beth S. Gersh-Nesic, Ph.D.
Director/owner
New York Arts Exchange, LLC