The Hidden and the Revealed; The Queen Esther Mosaics of Lilian Broca
For centuries, the most serious art in Italy was laboriously crafted in mosaics. It was taken for granted that the Bible s timeless stories deserved the timelessness of polished stones. It s an old idea, but Lilian Broca sees the point. She makes contemporary art with the merits of ancient art. --John T. Spike, author, art historian, art critic, and past director of the Florence Biennale International ExhibitionsWHAT'S HAPPENING NOW in the world of mosaics.WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2012The Hidden and the Revealed: The Queen Esther Mosaics of Lilian Broca was not what we expected.We absolutely expected beautiful photographs of the ten opulent and impressive mosaics that make up this body of work. Begun in 2002 and completed in 2009, the Queen Esther series has garnered a number of honors for Broca including a gold medal at the 2003 Florence Biennale and a spot in Mosaic Art NOW's 2011 Exhibition in Print.The story of Queen Esther is delicious Biblical thriller about a Hebrew beauty contest winner who conceals her religion, becomes a queen and, through the courageous use of her womanly wiles, saves her people from a massacre sanctioned by her husband. Broca's ten mosaics follow Esther from frightened teenager to mature and confident queen. Because we know her, we weren't surprised to find Broca very eloquent as she shares the personal bedrock that lies beneath her mosaics the affinity for the Byzantine aesthetic formed by a harsh childhood in Communist-ruled Bucharest, an accomplished artistic career spanning multiple mediums, and, most important, her unswerving commitment to turn a spotlight on the "societal issues involving women and their plight in historical times" through the use of symbolism and metaphor. In her book, Broca walks the reader through her process as an artist with excellent illustrations following the creation of each mosaic from initial sketch to completion. She spends just the right amount of time talking about the physical process of mosaic-making and even manages to make the process sound almost mystical. Broca clearly revels in the making of mosaics.Broca's narrative is especially rich for us when she speaks of her use of symbolism. Here, she discusses the element of wrought iron she employs throughout the series.This work establishes Mordechai as the other hero and as, in effect, her (Esther's) co-conspirator in the plan to counter Haman's evildoing. Here, the wrought iron motif which elsewhere symbolizes the oppression and segregation of women in an ancient patriarchal society takes on a different meaning, becoming part of the opulent palace gate, with the royal initial appearing in its center. And here, Broca points out how she uses the basic components of mosaic in creating a symbolic visual moment.In the right panel of the triptych, the image of the column melts down at the bottom, first becoming two dimensional and monochromatic, next a line drawing, and finally the line pixelating into small colored fragments that form a shapeless mound of tesserae. This visual degeneration symbolizes the defeat and destruction of the Persian empire soon after the reign of King Ahashvayrosh and Queen Esther. The falling pixels or tesserae also form Esther's name in Hebrew and Farsi.Yes, Broca's thoroughly satisfying portion of the book met and exceeded all our expectations for a good mosaic read.What we hadn't expected in The Hidden and the Revealed were the additional contributions made by feminist artist Judy Chicago, art historian Sheila Campbell and Rabbi Yosef Wosk that made this book an even richer, multi-faceted experience.In her foreword, Chicago discusses the traditional struggles of women within the confines of historically patriarchal religions. She also finds the mosaic connection between her homage to the --Mosaicartnow.blogspot.comBook reviewers sometimes like to hang on to their verdict, forcing the reader to wade through the reviewer s arcane knowledge and pompous opinions until, in the very last sentence, the opinion on the particular book is delivered. I ll spare my readersthis book is a stunner!It encompasses all the elements of a wonderful art book: illuminating but accessible text for an intelligent layman, out-of-the-ordinary artistic content, and quality printing. The preface is by Judy Chicago, the internationally acclaimed artist (famous for her groundbreaking installation, The Dinner Party) and author. Ms Chicago notes that Broca has chosen the ancient technique of mosaics to create a modern-day visual midrash. This book has been seven years in the making and includes the full Scroll of Esther in Hebrew, accompanied by an English translation. The artist devotes a section of the book to explaining the technique of mosaics and presenting the reader with many of her preliminary sketches. The history of mosaics goes back some 4,000 years or more. The expansion of the Roman Empire took mosaics further afield. With the rise of the Byzantine Empire from the 5th century onwards, centered on Byzantium (now Istanbul, Turkey), the art form took on new characteristics. Roman mosaics were mostly used on floors, but the Byzantines specialized in covering walls and ceilings. Light was refracted by the glass and was caught in different ways. The high level of reproducing Broca s mosaics is a compliment to the Israeli publisher.  It was Yeats, in his poem Sailing to Byzantium, who spoke of the gold mosaic of a wall, the physical reality of the luminous glass that becomes ethereal. Lilian Broca has infused the heroic story of Esther with artistic beauty and, through the medium of mosaics, with spirituality. Definitely recommended as a gift for oneself, others, or both. --Pnina Moed Kass, Esra Magazine