What is your reaction to Asher’s decision to paint these two works? Asher decides to paint two versions of Brooklyn Crucifixion because he thought that the first version was “incomplete” (327-8).What is the relationship between God’s act of creation, Aryeh’s work, and Asher’s artistic work? In his travels through Europe, Asher encounters not only great works of art, but also members of the Jewish Ladover community, all of whom know and revere his father, Aryeh, whose work is described as “creation out of nothing” (315).Do you think Asher aspires to a similar rebellion? Asher says that his work was “an act of awesome rebellion against his tradition and his teacher” (312). During his time in Florence, Asher is particularly moved by viewing Michelangelo’s Pietá and David. Both humbled and yet determined to pursue his artistic calling, Asher leaves for Paris. The works are successes critically and financially, but they horrify Asher’s parents and his Jewish community. In the climax of the novel, Asher paints two versions of the Brooklyn Crucifixion, and he then displays them at an exhibit where his parents are present.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |