Archie Rand, “Eliezer Gets Rebecca,” 2022, Acrylic on canvas, 28” by 22”
Submitted by The Skirball Museum of Cincinnati
When invited to create work for the Jerusalem Biennale last year, artist Archie Rand decided to depict the audacity, courage, and resilience of biblical women whose deliberate actions changed the course of Jewish history. His exhibition of 17 vivid paintings evoking their roles as “assets to the Jewish People” is opening March 27th and on view through June 30th at the Skirball Museum at HUC-JIR/Cincinnati, after its American debut at the Heller Museum at HUC-JIR/New York this fall.
Inspired by the Mishnah, Midrash, and Apocrypha text sources, Rand brings to life both well-known and obscure female characters in decisive moments through bold color and expressive brushwork. He captures their stories with the immediacy of comic book and pulp fiction art, the innocence of children’s book illustrations, and the melodrama of classic American and Italian films.
From the storybook evocation of “Eve Talks to the Animals,” where the Garden of Eden becomes a Victoria parlor, to a scene reminiscent of the Wizard of Oz, where victorious Tamar outsmarts a scarecrow-like Judah, Rand challenges our imagination.
Anachronisms abound, as in the jalopy driven by Abraham’s servant who rushes the future biblical matriarch away from the circus to marry Isaac in “Eliezer Gets Rebecca.” The film noire genre informs “Rahab Invites Two Spies,” where two Nazi-garbed soldiers in a jeep interrogate the Jericho-dwelling prostitute who risked her life by hiding the two spies sent by Joshua to scout the Promised Land.
Rand puts his own spin on fierce acts of feminist valor that saved the Jewish People. In “Judith and Holofernes” he exaggerates the size of the wealthy widow who looms over the puny Assyrian general whom she decapitates with his own sword to save her city.
Curated by Samantha Baskind, Distinguished Professor of Art History at Cleveland State University, this exhibition exemplifies Rand’s 40-year career exploring the Bible and Jewish texts through the lens of 20th-21st century culture, with over 100 solo exhibitions and 200 group exhibitions, and works in major museum collections.
Utilizing his art as a form of visual midrash, Rand invites us to find new meanings in ancient texts that are relevant today. His daring biblical women model the confidence, ingenuity, and fortitude that can inspire us to confront and overcome these challenging times.
