Divine Inspiration

Human beings tend to invoke divine powers when seeking insight into the future or inspiration in their creative endeavors. In European art, familiar tropes include the depiction of heroic figures from different eras – the Sybils of ancient Greece, Jewish prophets, Christian saints, kings, poets, artists – lifting their gaze to the heavens or poring over a thick volume.

There were also accepted ways of depicting Inspiration: in classical Greece or Rome, the God Apollo and the nine Muses were thought to impart it upon scientists and artists; in biblical scenes, divine inspiration was typically represented by a shaft of light emanating from the heavens and falling on the forehead of such figures as King David or the Prophets Jeremiah and Amos; while in other works still, an angel from on high can be seen transferring supernatural powers to supplicants by touching their lips, forehead, or hands.  

Inspiration, however, wasn’t always interpreted in a favorable light: it could also be represented as an appeal to dark forces. In those depictions, witches and demons are shown to perform deeds of black magic, inviting destructive forces from some supreme evil power.

In this exhibition, inspiration appears in all its guises in paintings, drawings, and prints from the Low Countries, Italy, and France, spanning the sixteenth to the second half of the twentieth century. Enhancing the display are several works by contemporary Israeli artists from the Museum’s collection, which were created as tributes to European art.