Booklist
Seventeenth-century Amsterdam was home to a remarkable Jewish community unique in all of Europe. Nadler has made this intriguing world his specialty, first in his acclaimed Spinoza: A Life (1999), and now in this enlightening inquiry into the depiction of Jews in Dutch art. Using Rembrandt's profoundly human portraits of his Jewish neighbors and depictions of Old Testament stories as his base, Nadler elucidates both the inner dynamics of Jewish Amsterdam and its interactions with the city at large. Rembrandt was not alone in his interest in Jewish life, and Nadler's disquisition on why Dutch theologians studied Judaica, and on why Dutch artists eschewed the blatant anti-Semitism found elsewhere in Europe, is profoundly intriguing. Nadler portrays both Rembrandt and Menasseh ben Israel, a friend of the artist whom Nadler believes was a crucial resource for Rembrandt's knowledge of Jewish culture and possibly "the most famous Jew in all of Europe." Rich in compelling detail and surprising disclosures, Nadler's discourse greatly deepens our understanding of the role of art in both Dutch and Jewish history. Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
