RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Tahlib

"ECCE HOME (Behold the Man)" by Caravaggio is the A&O Talk of Week. The exhibition at the Columbus Museum of Art in Ohio used this masterwork as a jumping-off point to contrast and compare  other art produced since the Counter-Reformation, including contemporary works. Caravaggio's novelty was a revolutionary naturalism that combined the close physical observation of real people theatrically lighted. The entertaining exhibition included a rich mixture of audio and video commentary from clergy and artists of different backgrounds, including the rock band R.E.M., a Jewish Rabbi, film-maker Martin Scorsese, and ministers from both Catholic and Protestant backgrounds. The exhibition closes today in Columbus, Ohio, and afterwards "Ecce Home" returns to Italy. 

INTERFAITH MIX-UP:

• Join an Interfaith Book Club for Lent in 2012 (Alpha Omega Arts)
• Jordi Cohen's Haitian Voodoo on Display (Alpha Omega Arts)
• Travel: On the Vodun Trail in Benin (New York Times)
• Recreating African Religious Art in America (The Suffolk Times)
• Video: Madonna's Ancient Egyptian Religion Inspired Half-Time Super Bowl Show (YouTube)
• Indiana Art Fair for Indiana artists this weekend (Indianapolis Star)
• Video: Takashi Murakami: “Ego” at the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha (Flash Art Online)
• Antoni Tàpies Obituary: Enigmatic Artist Developed Spiritual Themes (The Guardian)

BUDDHIST ART:

• Contemporizing Buddha with 21st century art: Michael Joo, and others (Wall Street Journal)
• Buddhist Monks build a sand mandala in Atlanta through Feb. 11 (Emory News)
• Sunday's Holy-day Art Preview: Nirvana Day is Feb. 15 (Alpha Omega Arts)
• Saturday's Holy-day Art Preview: Nirvana Day is Feb. 15 (Alpha Omega Arts)
• Friday's Holy-day Art Preview: Nirvana Day is Feb. 15 (Nichiren Shu Buddhism)
• Thursday's Holy-day Art Preview: Nirvana Day is Feb. 15 (Alpha Omega Arts) 
• Mob smashes Buddhist sculptures at National Museum (Al Arabiya News)

HINDU ART:

• Smithsonian presents the provocative Ai Weiwei this spring (Alpha Omega Arts)
• Siva, the First Lord of Dance is a Global Religious Icon (The Hindu)
• Religious extremists attack both artist, and his artwork in gallery (Deccan Chronicle)

ISLAMIC ART:

• In Paris, Islamic Art & architecture flying in on a flying carpet at the Lourve (New York Times)

JEWISH ART:

• Trees and Judaism in San Francisco (Alpha Omega Arts)
• Show featured local and Israeli artists (Alpha Omega Arts)

CHRISTIAN ART:

• Marketers promoted Jesus over Rembrandt for blockbuster show in Detroit (Huffington Post)
• "Birth of Jesus" by Tom Torluemke (FaceBook)
• Art History through Sci-Fi colored glasses (Tor Com)
• Matt Johnson's "Mother and Child" at James Cohan Gallery, NYC (Alpha Omega Arts)
• US premiere of major Italian Renaissance exhibition begins in Florida (Alpha Omega Arts)
• Hit musical "Godspell" opens in Carmel this week (Indianapolis Star)
• R. G. Phillips, "The Art World, the Flesh, the Spirit and Adkins, Vignon, David and Goliath" (Alpha Omega Arts)
• Actress Mixes Art & Religion for Performance at Grace Cathedral (New York Times)
• Russian Court bans Mikey Mouse as Jesus Christ Art for 2nd Time (Gazeta-Ru)

Get your daily dose of Alpha Omega Arts on Facebook and/or Twitter, or just come back each day. Whether it's Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Islamic, Judaic or other, there's always something new to talk about in today's interfaith world of religious arts.