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contact:
malbon@vt.edu

Dr. Alice M. Sinnott teaches in the School of Theology at the University of Auckland, New Zealand.

Abstract: A PowerPoint presentation will initiate a conversation with participants about how studying paintings from different historical and cultural settings, with Ruth as their subject, can play a significant part in biblical interpretation. Selected paintings (e.g. "Ruth Asleep," Wenzel Bible Illustration; "Naomi & Ruth," Bible Moralise; "Ruth and Obed," Augsburg Bible; "Ruth Gleaning," J. Tissot; "Ruth and Naomi on the Road to Bethlehem," Arthur Szyk; "Ruth Meeting Boaz at Night," Marc Chagall; "Ruth the Dutiful Daughter-in-Law," William Blake; "Ruth and Boa – Summer," N. Poussin; "Ruth Meets Boaz," Hans Holbein; "Ruth with Obed," Michelangelo; "Three Women," L Baskin; "Ruth & Naomi," He Qi), inspired by the book of Ruth will be viewed in conjunction with the written text thus inviting the audience to consider differences between a narrative captured in written form and a narrative portrayed in art. This exercise is intended to generate an awareness of hermeneutical diversity. It may also contribute to a more inclusive and comprehensive understanding of the narrative. The range of sensory stimuli available in artistic interpretations intensifies audience engagement and enables the portrayal of perceptions impossible to express in written narrative. A study of the works of art inspired by a biblical text can highlight a variety of theological and cultural concerns. In multiform ways the artists have represented their interpretations of the enigmatic figure of Ruth. I have confined this study mainly to works that reveal an original vision, a point of departure or a novel exegesis of the biblical text. Creative interpretation of the text is above all my guiding principle and I acknowledge a high level of subjectivity. In this time when biblical studies and the arts are seeking to forge a new language, images of Ruth can highlight how an outsider(unconventional woman) transcended alienation.

2004, San Antonio


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