Giotto has returned to Tel Aviv, but this time to the southern part of the city, to Jaffa to be exact, as a guest of the Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yaffo until 28th October and perhaps longer. Naturally we are talking about the model in scale 1:4 of the 14th century Chapel of the Scrovegnis of Padua, with the famous cycle of frescoes painted by Giotto.
The model was conceived and made as an instrument to promote Padua and the Veneto region in Italy and abroad by the local council, the provincial council and other institutions of Padua; since 1993, it has practically gone around the world.
In 2008, Padua City Council gave it to the Custody of the Holy Land, also because all the events of the life of Jesus shown by Giotto are set in an imaginary Holy Land.
The exhibition has already been held in Jerusalem, where it was an outstanding success, particular in Jewish circles and last November thousands of visitors were able to visit it for two months at the Erez Museum in Tel Aviv. Dozens of groups of Israeli tourists with their guides and teachers with their classes found it very interesting to learn the story of salvation according to the Gospel account and the Christian point of view through the fresco: this way Giotto’s art once again fulfilled its original teaching function as an instrument of evangelization.
The exhibition received the same enthusiastic participation in Jaffa on Wednesday 13th October during the official inauguration which, according to local custom, was held a few days after the opening.
The main creators and executors of the initiative, Father Arturo Vasaturo and the engineer Mr. Ettore Soranzo for the Custody of the Holy Land, were present, as were Dror Amir, Executive Director of the Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yaffo, and many others, including Father Apollinare Szwed, superior of the Convent of St. Peter in Jaffa, in charge of the Hebrew-speaking Catholic community and Father Peter Ashton.
In addition to the visit of Giotto’s chapel, about three hundred people listened to the lecture on Giotto by Dr. David Graves in the auditorium of the university college. Graves upholds the theory that sees Giotto as a bridge towards the Renaissance, not only for this first exercises of perspective. but above all for the changeover from an art which has the ideal as its object, to an art which aimed to imitate nature.
The introduction to all the attendees was made by Professor Israel Zang, President of the Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yaffo, who recalled the particular atmosphere of Jaffa where this academic institution operates: a society where Muslims, Christians and Jews live together in peace.
The organization of the evening was perfect down to every detail, with personalized signs, the presence of the media, the Israeli and Italian flags as well as that of the Custody of the Holy Land and, of course, the buffet, which preceded the inauguration instead of concluding it (and without anyone disappearing after eating: another sign of sincere interest).
One curious detail, but which could also be significant: the background music to the exhibition was not chosen from the repertoire of sacred music, but was a CD of operatic arias sung by Pavarotti, as though the mark of Italianness of Giotto, Pavarotti and Verdi prevailed over that of Christianity.
FRC
The model was conceived and made as an instrument to promote Padua and the Veneto region in Italy and abroad by the local council, the provincial council and other institutions of Padua; since 1993, it has practically gone around the world.
In 2008, Padua City Council gave it to the Custody of the Holy Land, also because all the events of the life of Jesus shown by Giotto are set in an imaginary Holy Land.
The exhibition has already been held in Jerusalem, where it was an outstanding success, particular in Jewish circles and last November thousands of visitors were able to visit it for two months at the Erez Museum in Tel Aviv. Dozens of groups of Israeli tourists with their guides and teachers with their classes found it very interesting to learn the story of salvation according to the Gospel account and the Christian point of view through the fresco: this way Giotto’s art once again fulfilled its original teaching function as an instrument of evangelization.
The exhibition received the same enthusiastic participation in Jaffa on Wednesday 13th October during the official inauguration which, according to local custom, was held a few days after the opening.
The main creators and executors of the initiative, Father Arturo Vasaturo and the engineer Mr. Ettore Soranzo for the Custody of the Holy Land, were present, as were Dror Amir, Executive Director of the Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yaffo, and many others, including Father Apollinare Szwed, superior of the Convent of St. Peter in Jaffa, in charge of the Hebrew-speaking Catholic community and Father Peter Ashton.
In addition to the visit of Giotto’s chapel, about three hundred people listened to the lecture on Giotto by Dr. David Graves in the auditorium of the university college. Graves upholds the theory that sees Giotto as a bridge towards the Renaissance, not only for this first exercises of perspective. but above all for the changeover from an art which has the ideal as its object, to an art which aimed to imitate nature.
The introduction to all the attendees was made by Professor Israel Zang, President of the Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yaffo, who recalled the particular atmosphere of Jaffa where this academic institution operates: a society where Muslims, Christians and Jews live together in peace.
The organization of the evening was perfect down to every detail, with personalized signs, the presence of the media, the Israeli and Italian flags as well as that of the Custody of the Holy Land and, of course, the buffet, which preceded the inauguration instead of concluding it (and without anyone disappearing after eating: another sign of sincere interest).
One curious detail, but which could also be significant: the background music to the exhibition was not chosen from the repertoire of sacred music, but was a CD of operatic arias sung by Pavarotti, as though the mark of Italianness of Giotto, Pavarotti and Verdi prevailed over that of Christianity.
FRC