Following a highly successful September opening, there has been a daily stream of visitors to the “Faith, Beauty, and Devotion: Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque Paintings” exhibition at the Olga M. & Carlos A. Saladrigas Art Gallery at Belen Jesuit Preparatory School. To accommodate the influx of art lovers in town for Art Basel Miami Beach (Miami Art Week), the gallery will extend its public hours and offer special programs.
The exhibition features thirty religious and secular paintings by Italian and Flemish Masters, including Titian, Jacopo Tintoretto, Circle of Caravaggio, Peter Paul Rubens, Francesco Botti, and Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio. The oldest work, Painted Cross by an Umbrian Master, dates back to 1295. From moderate size to more than 7’ tall or wide, the paintings (of which many are set in their original frame) demonstrate a timeline of mediums and styles typical to each period such as: tempera and gold leaf on panel, oil on panel, and oil on canvas; Florentine School, Venetian School, and Mannerism.
Titian Attribution
It was recently announced that significant sections of a Saint Sebastian painting are the work of master painter Titian, considered to be the greatest painter of 16th century Venice. Previously, the large (73 x 28.3”) oil on canvas painting ca. 1520-1530, was attributed to the Venetian School.
With respect to the attribution change, Paul Joannides, MA, Ph.D., Emeritus professor of Art History at the University of Cambridge and life member of Clare Hall, has examined the visible stylistic and material elements along with clues about the process of its creation to build a historical understanding of the painting.
Visitors to the gallery can compare the Titian Saint Sebastian to two other paintings of Saint Sebastian by Evangelista di Pian di Meleto (ca. 1500) and Louis Finson (ca. 1607), hung side-by-side. The patron saint of archers and athletes and venerated as a protector from the bubonic plague was a favorite subject of Renaissance artists. He was typically depicted as a robust young man pierced by arrows.
(l to r):
Evangelista di Pian di Meleto, Saint Sebastian, ca. 1500, oil on panel, 171x95x8 cm
Titian, Saint Sebastian, ca. 1520 – 1530, oil on canvas, 73×28.3″
Louis Finson, Saint Sebastian, ca. 1607, oil on canvas, 44×30.9″
Family-Friendly
Since the gallery is part of Belen Jesuit Preparatory School (grades 6 to 12), careful attention has been placed on making it understandable to guests of all ages. Children will enjoy The Florence Experience – a virtual flight over the ‘Birthplace of the Renaissance’ via a floor-to-ceiling LED display.
The Florence Experience – a virtual flight over the ‘Birthplace of the Renaissance’ via a floor-to-ceiling LED display. © Armando Colls
“The Saladrigas Gallery has been exhibiting art by emerging to mid-career artists for twenty years,” comments Sylvie Daubar-San Juan, Humanities Department Chairperson and Director of the Olga M. & Carlos A. Saladrigas Art Gallery at Belen Jesuit Preparatory School. “Faith, Beauty, and Devotion: Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque Paintings” is truly a highlight due to the rare opportunity to bring works from these art historical periods, including several by artists from the Western canon to Miami. The gallery will continue to strive to bring quality exhibitions and programming to Belen Jesuit and the broader community.”
(l to r):
(1) Sylvie Daubar-San Juan, Humanities Department Chairperson and Director of the Olga M. & Carlos A. Saladrigas Art Gallery at Belen Jesuit Preparatory School. © Armando Colls;
(2) Sylvie Daubar-San Juan, Humanities Department Chairperson and Director of the Olga M. & Carlos A. Saladrigas Art Gallery with Belen Jesuit Preparatory School students. © Teresa Martinez
Faith, Beauty, and Devotion: Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque Paintings
Through December 16, 2023, with special hours during Art Basel Miami as follows:
- Saturday, December 2nd, “Italian Wine Event” from 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm (A ticketed event.)
- Thursday, December 7th from 7:30 – 9:30 pm (Public hours. Free admission.)
- Saturday, December 9th from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm (Public hours. Free admission.)
“Faith, Beauty, and Devotion” will close on December 16th with a special event planned between 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
Other dates by Reservation.
Olga M. & Carlos A. Saladrigas Art Gallery
at Belen Jesuit Preparatory School
500 SW 127 Ave.
Miami, FL 33184
Website: https://www.belenjesuit.org/exhibition
ssanjuan@belenjesuit.org
(786) 621-4624
About Belen Jesuit Preparatory School
The Society of Jesus is both a missionary and a teaching Roman Catholic religious order since Pope Paul III founded it at the request of Saint Ignatius of Loyola in 1540. The motto of the Society, “Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam,” indicates its goal to help all men and women to live according to Christ’s example of love and service. The Jesuits dedicated themselves to spreading the Gospel in mission lands and to the apostolate of education very early in their history.
The Jesuits founded Belen Jesuit Preparatory School in 1854 in Havana, Cuba. In 1961, when the new political regime confiscated Belen and all private schools, the school was re-established in Miami that same year and has grown over the last five decades. Currently, the enrollment is nearly 1,400 male students in grades 6 to 12 and over seven thousand alumni. The Ignatian Center for the Arts includes the 665-seat, state-of-the-art Ophelia & Juan Js. Roca Theater and the 3,200 square-foot Olga M. & Carlos A. Saladrigas Art Gallery. The Saladrigas Gallery displays several professionally curated exhibits annually, a young artists exhibit, a Belen community art show, and numerous other projects.
