On September 25th, 2011, The Matriarchs, the unique series of art work by Michael Rogatchi has been unveiled for the public for the first time.
According to the curator of the Forefathers exhibition of Michael Rogatchi’s spiritual works, professor Julia Weiner (London), “the series comprising all of the Patriarchs and all of the Matriachs as done by Michael Rogatchi now had never been done before” in the history of arts.
The Inaugural exhibition of 10 works by the artist including the 7-piece The Matriarchs series has become a centre-piece of a special art event Jewish Symbolism in Arts organised by the Jewish Community of Turku in Finland (more on the event can be found on the following web pages: Events and Highlights – (Events).
“I was willing to show my work, especially the one which has to do with the Jewish theme, to the members of my own community, and our friends in Finland for quite a long time, and am very pleased that such an occassion has occurred”, – said Michael.
The artist was telling the stories behind the rare series which depicts all the Matriarchs, and his interpretation of their characters to a very large number of people attending the exhibition. He emphasised, in particular, that not only these most inspiring characters and their narrative in a spiritual history of mankind does have their stories, but also each of the paintings of the series happened to have the story of its own unfolding as the artist was working on it.
There was an extremely warm and interested reception of the series by the public. Viewers were in particular impressed by “magnificient, as if hypnotysing you, Deborah – as one expects this prophetess to be, and yet more”; “wonderful Miriam – a manifestation of a strong woman who is not just free herself, but is freeing the others, too; and she is leading the people by her engaging, energising power”; “lovely Rebeccah who is surrounded by all those small meaningful details on the canvas as if sharing her life, sorrow and hope with us”, according to several viewers’ impressions.
One member of the attending public was very impressed by the “artist’s skill and success in creating the living souls of the greatest personanges of the Old Testament in the way that each of us, the modern viewers, can see the entire inner world of those great women, the human beings as they were. And this is the most powerful message and the lesson that real high art can produced” – said Maria Holvitie, the chairman of the Union of Teachers of the South-Western Union, and a member of The Rogatchi Foundation board.
From the end of 2011 to the beginning of 2012, The Matriarch series will be on their way to London, for participation in a forthcoming Forefathers show of the spiritual works of Michael Rogatchi.