New for June-July 2022

June 1, 2022

New for June-July 2022

The Bible story of the battle of David the shepherd boy with Goliath the giant has been much on my mind as I watch the Ukrainian army hold back invading Russian forces.  As we enter the summer season, I'm featuring five images of this classic confrontation in the Hebrew Scriptures by international artists in the Sacred Art Pilgrim Collection, now on view in the David Kills Goliath page in the Heroes of the Bible gallery of the Bible Stories and Parables section. Czech Graphic Artist Ladislav Rusek gives us a conventional version of the duel in a linocut book plate where the victorious David stands astride the fallen Goliath.  Russian-Ukrainian Ex Libris Artist Konstantin Kalynovych has created a whimsical print where the biblical antagonists play hide-and-seek in a setting suggesting the Brothers Grimm. The giant-slaying hero looks like a street urchin who would just as soon break windows with his slingshot in a satiric colored etching (above) from German Artist Klaus Schroeter. Mississipi Visionary Artist Carl Dixon presents a Goliath so huge his falling spear could crush the Israelite Army, and Nicaraguan Primitivista Painter Jose Ignacio Fletes Cruz depicts the giant's bloody demise in a disquietingly tranquil Central American landscape with flowering fields and blue mountain peaks. We always cite this biblical narrative as proof that might does not make right and underdogs have their day. Pray for the Peace of Ukraine! (John Kohan)