ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Rembrandt would likely approve of the walls painted with earthy reds and olive greens.
The deep and rich hues, after all, highlight his "Portrait of a Young Woman" along with several new acquisitions on view for the first time inside the Allentown Art Museum's newest exhibition, "New Conversations: Renaissance and Baroque Art."
The bilingual exhibition opens on Saturday, Nov. 16.
It coincides with the museum's other new addition: a unique collection of photographs by Cuban artist Abelardo Morell that also debuted on Thursday.
Making space for Tiffany Studios
The idea to curate a collection based on Renaissance art (1350—– 1620) and Baroque art (1600 to 1750) eras came to light after the museum acquired two 14-foot windows created by Tiffany Studios.
"I was really inspired thinking about the centuries that these works have seen and how many different people have looked at them and made an interpretation or a story and thinking about how can we connect people today to these works and make people feel empowered to be able to create their own interpretations and how to interact with these works as a contemporary person," Claire McRee, curator of the exhibitions, said.
The museum's Rembrandt — plus Old Master paintings from its Kress Collection — were moved up a floor from the Kress Gallery, which will undergo renovations this winter to make space for the Tiffany display — to the Scheller and Fowler Galleries.
The Kress Foundation donated the collection of Old Master Paintings to the Museum in the 1950s.
Spiritual themes
Along with those pieces are three never-shown works including a newly conserved piece created in 1520 by Domenico Puligo entitled, "Madonna and Child with an Angel."
The piece was previously under the stewardship of Saint John's Lutheran Evangelical Church at 37. South Fifth St.
"It's the first tondo or circular painting to enter the collection. Recently the church had reached out to the museum and decided they wanted to share it with a wider audience," McRee said.
With the blessing of the Kress Foundation, the painting was sent off to undergo conservation, the process of removing a protective coating on top of a painting and replacing it.
"Taking that step has really changed the colors. It's very vivid and bright now," McRee said.
That cherished piece is one of several containing spiritual themes and references.
"During the Renaissance period the Catholic Church was a massive social and political power in Europe and also a major patron for the arts and art was created to instruct the faithful to teach stories to people who couldn't read, but also to inspire worship and for devotion," McRee said.
"In that era, a lot of these religious works were created with the goal of being interactive. [People] would address prayers to the work of art and that was considered ...a sacred presence — that the work of art was not just an inanimate object, but had the presence of the divine."
Another new arrival is a piece from Peru entitled, "Virgin of Montserrat" which the museum purchased in 2023.
"It represents Spanish colonization in the Americas and also the transfer and transformation of religious ideas and also artistic ideas at the same time," McRee said. "It's really great to talk about cross-cultural exchange and identity."
Marvel at the historical pieces in the collection, along with a few contemporary ones created by local artists Angel Suarez-Rosado and Lydia Panas (her piece, "Walnuts on Velvet from Pinecones, Chocolate, and Cotton" is on loan to the museum).
Suarez-Rosado, who uses religious themes in his bodies of work, also has creations on display on the lower level of the museum.
His bright-colored centerpiece, part of the new exhibit, was created out of a welded wooden door and depicts an arrowed Saint Sebastian, the patron saint of archers and athletes.
"In the 80s and 90s, he was part of a group of contemporary artists in New York who pioneered the idea of altar making as an artistic practice," McRee said. "You can see some of the knots in the wood. It's more found material and I think it has a really personal quality and speaks to his own identity as well."
Camera obscura
McRee pointed out a piece entitled, "View of Piazza San Marco" by the Italian painter Canaletto, formerly known as Giovanni Antonio Canal.
Canaletto was known to paint Italian landscapes by using what's known as camera obscura — a drawing aid used by artists and photographers.
In essence, camera obscura (or dark room in Latin) is a darkened room with a small hole in one wall. The idea is that the light then enters through the small hole and projects an upside-down image of the outside world.
Morrell, who was born in Havana, Cuba in 1948, is known for his examples of camera obscura, but in photographs. Sixteen of his creations are on display in the gallery outside of Renaissance and Baroque displays.
"Morrell uses camera obscura in a way that's more experimental, rather than trying to replicate reality. I think they're really mysterious and curious and inviting, and we've been getting good feedback from visitors already," McRee said.
McRee has worked at the museum for nine years and will lead a tour of both exhibitions on Dec. 8.
Que estan pensando?
In the meantime, visitors can partake in some interactive fun.
On the "que estan pensando" or "what are they thinking" wall, located by the elevator, visitors can leave a speech bubble or share a thought on what the artists might have been thinking during those eras.
"It's easy to feel kind of oversaturated or that you've seen this kind of thing before and to forget to look closely. I feel like these works of art are really rewarding if you look at them with fresh eyes. If you're able to spend time with them just to be able to relate on a personal level to a portrait that shows someone from 400 years ago," McRee said.
"If you take a look deeper into the painting, into this perspective work, you can see something that you might have not seen before. Sometimes it's easy to do that in everyday life to kind of not be aware or mindful of what's right in front of you.
"This collection has been rewarding to work with more closely because there's so much there. Every time you look at something, you might notice a new detail or something new to investigate or wonder about."
The Allentown Art Museum is located at 31 N. Fifth St. Admission is free. For info,click here.
