Roberts 2007 – Curator's utterance

Photography Rodi Almog

Ynet art forum presents contemporary and personal interpretation to a painting of among the greatest Orientalist painters of the 19^th century:

David Roberts (1795-1864) painted "Jerusalem – a gaze from up north" at the religious awakening time of Europe when believers were seeking proof for that has been done in the land of the bible.

The painting ""Jerusalem – a gaze from up north" comprises a collection of sights of the Jerusalem scenery:

Rain water pond and antiques from the whereabouts of "Samaritan Shinom's" grave

Yehoshafat valley and Gethsemane

Temple mount and the old city

The Mount of Olives and A-Tur quarter

Beit Lehem and Hevron mountains

The members of Ynet art forum, consisting of painters and photographers familiar and working together under mainly virtual cooperation, were asked to refer to this painting from an up to date point of view.

The selection of a reference perspective was diverse: From reference to the light deriving from the piece, to landscape and topography, to images and specific details, to focusing on the personal artistic statement style.

There are two noticeable approaches in the contemporary art pieces displayed here:

On the one hand a creation preservation trend, deriving from an acknowledgement in its historical value, expressed, for instance, in the use of multicolored pencils or wedding parts of the original piece in the contemporary piece – like print and digital processing.

On the other hand a shift away from precise details towards a personal interpretation and putting an emphasis on individualism, expressed in technique or the artistic outlook: Integrating contemporary components with the original painting, emphasis on textures, referring to reality or subjective impressions, style fusion, personal symbolism, inspirations from the new age world, and getting connected with ancient spirituality.

The ability to apply a theme from various perspectives – in contrast or supplementation to the conservative spirit in which Robert's theme painting was created – emphasizes the pluralism of contemporary art.