Born into a Bordeaux family with Western Sephardic roots, Jacques-Émile-Édouard Brandon studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and initially made his reputation with depictions of Christian subjects, particularly his series on the life of St. Bridget of Sweden. In the 1860s, he shifted markedly to Jewish themes, notably synagogue and classroom scenes, the Sabbath, and portrayals of rabbis with children. While Brandon’s style was academic, he did show his Scene in a Synagogue and other works at what came to be seen as the first Impressionist exhibition in Paris, in 1874.
Edouard Brandon’s painting of Amsterdam’s famous Portuguese Synagogue (1675) is set on the Ninth of Av, a fast day commemorating and mourning the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. Members of the…
Kneeling figure praying, Hazor, first half of eighth century BCE. Raised hands are a gesture of prayer. This is on a seal impression stamped on the rim of a krater.
Gidal began his career as a photographer at a time when the invention of lightweight cameras enabled a more spontaneous type of documentary photography. Photographers could now double as journalists…