Mordechai Ardon’s Sarah (1947) is an early Israeli reaction to the Holocaust that harnesses the Biblical metaphor of the tragic outcome of the story of the Binding of Isaac. The events of the Shoah put religious belief under attack. In one midrashic version of the story, Isaac is actually slain by his father Abraham at God’s command. Ardon depicts this movement of Sarah’s anguished scream over the body of her son on the altar. The shock kills Sarah just as the horrible reality of the millions slain in the Shoah extinguished the faith of untold thousands. Nonetheless, with the exception of the figure of Job, the blameless righteous man tested by God, Biblical subjects have been underutilized in addressing the Holocaust.
Born Mordechai Eliezer Bronstein on July 13 of 1896 to Orthodox Jewish parents in Tuchow, Poland.
Ardon was both an influential artist and teacher over his lifetime and in recognition of his achievements, was awarded the Israel Prize in 1964. Ardon passed away in June of 1992 at his home in Jerusalem, Israel. His works are on display at the Israel Museum, Tate Gallery in London, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, The Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and The Tel Aviv Museum of Art.
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