exhibit brochure
"To Mary, of Whom Was Born Jesus"
-- Saint Mary's College Chapel Cornerstone, 1928
"Truly indeed, she was made the lady of all things created, when she became the Mother of the Creator."
-- Saint John Damascene (675-749)
The Virgin Mary has inspired some of the most fascinating of all religious art, although the references to her in the Bible only total about one page. Over the centuries, her religious role has produced countless volumes of speculation, a cornucopia of images, and a worldwide adoration. To many today, Mary has become a quintessential mother, a descendant of the various goddess religions, a spirit guide for women, and a protector of the poor and disenfranchised. Even Protestants, who traditionally rejected Mary's importance, today are showing increased interest in finding religious meaning in the mother of Jesus. This resurgence of fascination with the Virgin is reflected in new scholarly texts, recent articles in the popular press, and hundreds of thousands of references on the Internet. Such enchantment with the image of Mary is furthered by the reports that the Madonna has appeared over 300 times around the world in the century.
In this two-part exhibition, the Hearst Art Gallery presents artists' interpretations of the Virgin Mary from the late Medieval Europe to Northern California today. The exhibition begins with works from the Saint Mary's College Collection ranging from Russian and Greek Icons in the Byzantine tradition to 20th-century works by Georges Rouault, Rockwell Kent, Jean Charlot and Salvador Dali. The majority of exhibited art works, however, are very recent creations by living artists. While the historic images of Mary were created as objects of religious devotion, the modern and contemporary works are more ambiguous and less bound by convention.
This exhibition is also timely in several ways. The Feast of the Annunciation takes place on March 25. The Lenten season reminds us of Christ's passion, and some of the works in the exhibition represent Mary facing the death of her son. Further, 1997 is the 150th anniversary of the dedication of the United States under the protection of Mary by the American Bishops of the Catholic Church. It was just a few years after that dedication, during the Gold Rush, that the original Saint Mary's Cathedral was built in San Francisco; Saint Mary's College grew out of a parochial school started in the cathedral in 1855. It is not surprising that art works representing Mary have been coming into the College collection ever since the major gift by Bartley Oliver of European paintings in the 1920s.
The historical paintings, sculptures, and prints drawn from the College's collection set the stage for the exhibition through their portrayal of the events in Mary's life. The contemporary images explore themes that have grown out of theological interpretations of these events From the Annunciation we not only recieve a model of Christian discipleship, but also a symbol of the burdens of womanhood. The Madonna and Child image still provides the supreme example of a loving, protective mother. She has become the mother to the world whose blessings are constantly being sought. Events from the Crucifixion and Mary's grief are transformed into modern grief for wasted lives due to war and disease. Her Ascension into heaven continues to invoke a Christian model of reward. The many stories throughout the centuries of visitations of the Virgin, usually to the poor, have strengthened her image as protector, inspiring 20th century artists to illustrate Mary as protector of a multitude of causes. However, some of the contemporary images point to modern commercial exploitation of that devotion. Some of the artists foretell a bleak future where the ark of the covenant uses a floating electronic image of the Madonna or in a worse scenario Mary and Jesus have been replaced by a shrine to Barbie and Ken dolls.
Throughout all the artistic visions of the Madonna, she remains respected as the universal icon of woman, mother, protector, and faithful servant to God. To many, she represents that God sends love to man and woman in both the image of a father and a mother. Because Mary's role was originally so minimally identified, she has been adapted freely. That freedom has made her very accessible to worshiper and artist alike.
Marvin A. Schenck, Curator
