An exhibition with biblical engravings and woodcuts by Dutch and Flemish artists opens today in Atlanta, Georgia after a successful display in the Museum of Biblical Art in New York.

The Michael C. Carlos Museum of Emory University presents Scripture for the Eyes: Bible Illustration in Netherlandish Prints of the Sixteenth Century, a collection of approximately 80 works. The exhibition explores the ways in which printed illustrations of Biblical and other religious themes supplemented and magnified the texts they accompanied during a period of dramatic religious and political upheaval. Featured artists include Lucas van Leyden, Maarten van Heemskerck, Dirck Volkertszoon Coornhert, and Hieronymus Wierix.

Illustrations are on loan from 13 institutions including the British Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Antwerp’s Plantin Museum, and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The exhibition was earlier on display in the Museum of Biblical Art in New York and the New York Times wrote a glowing review about it:

"What remains undeniable [...] is the ability of Dutch printmakers to measure the heights and plumb the depths of the European soul."

Art in the 16th century helped the faithful to visualize and remember Bible stories but it also served to interpret these stories and to affirm church doctrine. The exhibition and catalog essays discuss the various aspects of this relationship between church and art. The New York Times:

"While some viewers may be fascinated by the scholarly issues and biblical themes that the exhibition so adroitly frames, the pictorial and narrative excitement will captivate many others. Among a series of dramatic scenes engraved by Philips Galle in 1565 is one showing soldiers tossing the accusers of Daniel into the lions’ den, a rocky hole in the ground. The hyperactive choreography of writhing, half-naked men and ravenous beasts — vivified by the syncopating play of light and shadow and the Michelangeloesque draftsmanship — is almost comically horrifying."

Michael C. Carlos Museum, Scripture for the Eyes: Bible Illustration in Netherlandish Prints of the Sixteenth Century
http://www.carlos.emory.edu/scripture
Through January 24, 2010