Uvi Poznansky is not a new author to me, but she is one I would like to have had time to enjoy more of her books than I've had the opportunity. This book is quite different and is intended to support the story of David...and Goliath. It appears to be a complete, or, if not, an extensive collection of art through the ages as created by those who were inspired by the Biblical story of a young hero, David, who chose to fight the giant Goliath and, with God's promise, killed him.
This is a continuation of the novels by Poznansky, The David Chronicles.
What a wonderful way to complement this trilogy! If you are familiar with the story, moving through a "gallery" of different versions of the same story creates an extraordinary event for the individual who chooses this fantastic book... Needless to say that you will see the works of all the great artists from the past... I appreciated the choice to include "detail" shots to emphasize different parts of the original work. For instance, in the Bernini sculpture below, the author chose to hone in on the arm and the slingshot, while you can see that from the angle of the sculpture, you would have to move around the statue to see the detail of that small part of the whole... Only a talented writer and artist could have created this, it seems... emphasizing the story itself, as an important part of what was important to highlight on the complementary art work... I was impress.
I, for instance, became intrigued by the different perspectives of the story that were included in the finished works. Take, for instance, Goliath. Some artists portrayed him as a true giant, looking over the countryside, while others showed him as a man, perhaps, taller than any of his fellow soldiers, but, still not a giant... What was the message that each of the artists chose in deciding what Goliath must have looked like?
Even more importantly, David! Some portrayed him as a mere child, while others showed someone nearly a man. Was it to emphasize that David was the embodiment of God's strength inside of the boy-man? Did each artist portray David at an age and size that seemed most believable to he, himself?
Bernini's portrayal of David as he got ready to throw his sling, is of a young strong man... While Rembrandt chose to emphasize the giant over the young boy. For me, I found Rembrandt's work more credible, simply because of the story as I learned it as a child...
But no matter what, readers will discover a unique display of creativity as you might never see anywhere else--the ability to compare the same characters of one of the great historical stories of all time, and witness how each artist chose to share the story in picture form! I found it not only a learning experience, but one that is memorable and exciting to revisit and ponder.
Hopefully, art students will find this collection among all the books out there. For me, I'd recommend it as a must-read to them... Also Religion scholars would also find it a valuable, compiled collection that in easy format provides a wealth of comparative analysis of the artists' works as well as the perspective of the historical tale that most impressed each artist. I certainly appreciated this opportunity and highly recommend it for your consideration...
Bravo!
GABixlerReviews
Education and work:
Uvi earned her B. A. in Architecture and Town Planning from the Technion in Haifa, Israel and practiced with an innovative Architectural firm, taking a major part in the large-scale project, called Home for the Soldier.
Having moved to Troy, N.Y. with her husband and two children, Uvi received a Fellowship grant and a Teaching Assistantship from the Architecture department at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. There, she guided teams in a variety of design projects and earned her M.A. in Architecture. Then, taking a sharp turn in her education, she earned her M.S. degree in Computer Science from the University of Michigan.
She worked first as an architect, and later as a software engineer, software team leader, software manager and a software consultant (with an emphasis on user interface for medical instruments devices.) All the while, she wrote and painted constantly, and exhibited in Israel and California. In addition, she taught art appreciation classes. Her versatile body of work includes bronze and ceramic sculptures, oil and watercolor paintings, charcoal, pen and pencil drawings, and mixed media.
Books and Genres:
Her two series won great acclaim. Still Life with Memories is a family saga series with touches of romance. It includes Apart From Love, My Own Voice, The White Piano, The Music of Us, and Dancing with Air. The David Chronicles is a historical fiction series. It includes Rise to Power, A Peek at Bathsheba, and The Edge of Revolt.
Her poetry book, Home, is in tribute to her father. Her collection of dark tales, Twisted, and her Historical Fiction book, A Favorite Son, are both new age, biblically inspired books. In addition, Uvi wrote and illustrated two children books, Jess and Wiggle and Now I Am Paper. For each one of these books, she created an animation video (find them on YouTube and on her Goodreads page.)
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