RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Gregory & Ernest Disney-Britton

Andy Warhol, The Last Supper , 1982-84 

Pop artist Andy Warhol was the religious art master, and a new show coming this Fall that will explore his Christian faith. Andy Warhol's "The Last Supper" is part of a final painting series of works based on Leonardo’s Renaissance masterpiece. Executed near the end of Andy Warhol's life, the monumental piece which takes up the themes of religion and loss that were so key to Warhol's  work. This past weekend, Ernest and I went on a couple's retreat sponsored by our church where we explored the key themes of our life together. Such exploration makes Andy Warhol, our religious artist of the week.

The End is Nigh: A Review of Tom Torluemke at One After 909

NEWCITY
By Alan Pocaro

Tom Torluemke, “Sickly Decline,” 2019. Acrylic on canvas, 78.25 x 136.5 inches: an eleven-foot spiritual and scatological descendant of Belgian painter James Ensor’s razor-sharp brush.

Tom Torluemke is one of Chicago’s most gifted contemporary artists. “Born in the USA” at One After 909 is his latest foray in a series of “the end is nigh”-style visual homilies addressed to a wayward flock, and his best yet. Like the works in previous exhibitions, the paintings in “Born in the USA” are both a reflection of contemporary political events and a dire prediction of the future. Where this show differs from earlier efforts is in the complexity of the visual statement.  “Born in the USA” is the perfect antidote for those who’ve soured on the milquetoast abstraction that routinely leaks from the bloated walls of the city’s art programs. [More]

Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU Spotlights Artist Steve Marcus

THE SUN SENTINEL

By SERGIO CARMONA

Artist Steve Marcus' work is now on display at the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. (WorldRedEye/Courtesy)

With the theme for this year’s Jewish American Heritage Month being Jewish illustrators, the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU will commemorate the celebratory month by presenting a program featuring internationally acclaimed New York-based artist Steve Marcus on May 19. The upcoming program is part of his exhibit “Through the Hat: The Art of Steve Marcus,” which is currently running at the museum through May 21 and includes more than 26 wood carved sculptures and Jewish ritual objects, more than a dozen hand drawn works of art on paper and custom synagogue furniture.[More]