ART CRITICS’ RECENT COMMENTARIES
Consequently, for an artist of such complex sensitivity as Lilian Broca, mosaic represents more than just its materials and techniques; it serves as a magic mirror in which, through contemplation, the artist regains her past, preserves her present and foresees her future. The medium also acts as a receptacle in which the Middle East and European hypostases – from East to West and all the way in its extension to North America – co-exist and express themselves as an indestructible entity of astounding inner coherence.”Pavel Susara – Researcher at the Institute of Art History in Bucharest, Art Historian, Author and Art Critic.
“What does a Canadian artist living in Vancouver know about the Byzantine Empire? Everything, because she was born in Bucharest, Romania. She returns to her roots in this series, and the biblical story of Queen Esther. As a feminist, it was particularly easy for me to relate to her work that deals with women in society, both historically and currently (we still get less than our male counterparts in the arts because of gender). It is curious to note that in the biblical literature (written by a man) mosaics were first mentioned in the Book of Esther. Broca punctuates, in her triptych, how women had to get permission to speak to their masters and husbands – by using the weapon that women have historically used, their sex appeal, in order to control the situation. Current merchandizing that we see on TV and in magazine ads show and encourage women to be objects of desire. Have you ever seen an ad showing a woman 60 years or older other than those that show pampers for adults or emergency bracelets for infirm adults? Will we always, in the patriarchal society in which we live, have to accommodate, cooperate and negotiate in order to convince that we can be leaders with wisdom and vision?”
Bernice Steinbaum – Art dealer, curator, juror and advocate.
“For centuries the most serious art in Italy was laboriously crafted in mosaics. It was taken for granted that the Bible’s timeless stories deserved the timelessness of polished stones. The Bible came from the East, like the Magi, and the sparkling jeweled surfaces of Byzantium were assumed to represent the highest pinnacles art could reach. It’s an old idea but Lilian Broca sees the point. Ancient art was contemporary art when it was made. Lilian Broca makes contemporary art with the merits of ancient art.”
John F Spike – Director of Florence Biennale International Exhibitions, Writer, Art Historian, Art Critic
“Lilian Broca is an artist who works in many media, but who truly understands how to use mosaic to create art. She has exhibited works in series before, mainly in graphics, but the underlying connection has been a common theme. Her panels in the Queen Esther series are connected by a continuous narrative. …..The artist must provide the continuity for the viewer both visually and intellectually. This is a form of visual shorthand which was practised and developed from the third century to the fourteenth century, as may be seen in mediaeval mosaic such as those in San Marco, in Venice. But also in common with the mediaeval artist, Lilian is not just telling a story. She has taken a tale from antiquity, and is using the narrative to convey a wider contemporary message, which here is that of the role of women in self sacrifice, and the promotion of non-violent negotiations for peaceful conflict resolution. ….She works with colour and light to achieve her goal. But the success of these panels lies not only in Lilian’s ability to weave a narrative. Her understanding of colour and how it works is superb. The three dimensional effect which is achieved happens because of this understanding. …..Many people try to work in mosaic. Few achieve such successful and professional results.”
Sheila D.Campbell, PhD. – Art historian, Archaeologist, Curator. Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies.
“For her, it’s not just art for art’s sake – which, at times, is the highest calling – but rather art for the sake of and the benefit of creation. Lilian Broca herself has become the archetypal instrument through which the biblical women are given voice, form and personality. She has created what might be called a visual midrash. She doesn’t just draw. Lilian is one who studies in depth…. She is a researcher and a recognized independent scholar.”
Yosef Wosk, Ph.D., Litt.D., Th.M., OBC; Director of Interdisciplinary Programs, Continuing Studies; Associate Member of the Department of Humanities; Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Simon Fraser University at Harbour Centre
I think Lilian Broca is “out” of the Modernist paradigm, and would more likely fit comfortably within the pluralistic “Postmodern,” especially in that her art questions notions of traditional authority, exemplified by Foucault’s various studies, etc. According to Whitney Chadwick, most Feminist studies are derived from much of Foucault’s lines of inquiry. Also, while formalism is certainly important to Lilian’s work… everything is so structured, so beautifully composed, I really think she takes her cues from Neo-classicism and the “Grand Manner,” which were very formalistic as well.
Roger Boulet Curator, critic, writer, art historian, museum management
“Lilian Broca is an accomplished artist, a superb draughtsman, who knows about art history. …a committed artist producing a significant body of work….She is discovering things in our present and past that are keys to understanding heroics in life.”
Brooks Joyner, former Vancouver Art Gallery Director
“I think Lilian Broca has done a remarkable job with the colour and using a very modern palette, and they have a very contemporary fresh feel to them. The imagery is so complete and well thought out and the narrative aspect of it is such a key feature that I think it truly picks up where Byzantine mosaics in San Marco and Ravenna left off….and a welcome injection into the “post” postmodern world of fragmentation, simulation, and disorientation. Apart from my formal observations – I find her work definitely loaded with passion and a certain energy and aura, which is a quality that certainly can never be reproduced and makes her original work all the more valuable. “
Nina Di Giovanni – Mosaic Artist
“….Standing amid Broca’s creations as Wosk spoke – not only the mosaics, but the sketches and paintings that preceded them – one could easily relate to his words. The artwork is visually stunning. It is colorful, luminescent and skilfully put together. But what is most compelling is the depth of character that Broca communicates in her depictions of the Purim heroine. Broca’s Esther is intelligent, sensual and strong; an ancient role model worth emulating in today’s world. An award-winning artist, Broca has taught for many years, has had more than 60 exhibitions in North America and Europe over the last 30 years, and her works are found in public and private collections around the world. Yet, she remains humble and down-to-earth.”
Cynthia Ramsay – editor, The Bulletin
“Beneath the glittering surface (of mosaics) simmers a rich stew of Broca-esque themes: Sexual oppression and power, deadly secrets and deceit, sacrifice and death – the stuff of life, according to an artist who literally vibrates with emotion when she talks about it.”
Paula Brook – Columnist, The Vancouver Sun
“In the first panel, Esther is a frightened young woman, ordered by her uncle to marry a strange old man – the king of Persia. Although she doesn’t wish to be a queen, her hands are tied. She doesn’t have a choice. Each subsequent panel signifies a new step in Esther’s metamorphosis, a new coil in the spiral of her ascension. The motif of a wrought-iron fence, symbolic of women’s subjugated status throughout the ancient civilizations, perseveres in every panel but the last, where finally Esther takes off her mask, revealing her Jewish identity and her nature of a leader. Compared to the beginning of this visual narrative, the changes in Esther’s expression and posture are drastic, not an easy task to accomplish in mosaic. “Weaving a story from thousands of light-reflecting glass pieces, combining vibrant colors and different textures to highlight cresting emotions, Broca infused contemporary thinking into the ancient tale of Esther.”
Olga Livshin – art contributor to The Bulletin
“From Lilian Broca’s troubled brides to her triumphant Lilith, the suppressed heroism of women becomes manifest. The artist has documented woman realizing and fulfilling herself as an equal representative of humanity…. Lilian Broca’s work appears in the contemporary context like a troublesome apocrypha to art’s recent history.”
Roger H. Boulet – Art Historian, Administrator, Curator, Art Critic, Writer
“Whether depicting brides or angels, Broca’s painting and drawing techniques add credibility to her subject matter.”
Paula Gustafson, Art Critic, Artichoke Magazine
“….the Lilith works are the most powerful in terms of content and the questions they raise about women’s position and plight. Like Symbolist painters before her, Broca has taken the myth of Lilith and launched a reassessment of an ancient character’s impact on contemporary society… Praise to Broca for bringing these issues to the light…”
Margaret Chrumka, Art Critic, Artichoke Magazine
“There is no question that the breadth and scope of your work justifies an exhibition here at the Frye. I was impressed by the complex interweaving of themes and form, your draughtsmanship, and your control of all the elements on a large scale. The issues of representation advanced in your work would make it a fine addition to the Viewpoint series…”
Richard V. West, The Seattle Frye Art Museum Director
“The power of Broca’s work lies in her individual style, a complete rejection to follow mainstream styles, and a hyper-sensitivity to the role of women in society expressed in their mythical and spiritual dimensions as well as their social and economic contexts. Broca’s exploration of the Lilith theme has yielded a rich body of work. Her meticulously drawn figures on especially prepared spackle ground, and the use of graphite with some subtle touches of colour have captured the angst of the women in the 1990’s.”
Letia Richardson, Art Historian, Curator and Writer
“Lilian Broca’s solo exhibit, Brides Goddesses and Heroines was as luminous thought-provoking and empowering as any show we’ve ever seen… Huge panels that proclaim Lilian Broca as an artist of immense stature, as well as a visionary futurist, guarantee that this exhibit will not only be well attended, but will provoke a lot of reaction from all those fortunate enough to witness her art. This incredibly impressive one-woman show continues at the Richmond Art Gallery to Sept 27. Don’t miss it.”
Linda Moore, Art Critic, The Richmond Review
“…In the two series “Brides” (drawings) and “Goddesses and Heroines” (paintings), images with icon importance permeate her (Broca’s) work. Broca uses subjects and painting methods to recollect ideas and resonate thoughts across generations in time… Her art reflects cultural influences and it serves social and psychological purposes, both for the artist and for the viewer.”
Letia Richardson, Art Historian, Curator and Writer
“…Throughout her career, Broca’s work has consistently dealt with the human figure and human matters. The works of her last ten years have shown a considerable leaning towards symbolism as a vehicle for exploring various personal and social concerns. In her 1992 exhibition entitled “Brides” the artist has examined the widely accepted image of a bride through an unusual frame of reference – fairy tales – which compel an honest and genuine (albeit unconventional) reaction from the viewer. These brides question the accepted “role model” images which come down to us through centuries of stories, legends and fairy tales. Broca challenged the notions of “virtue as the ultimate winner” and “they lived happily ever after…” through work which states that, as our perspective of “virtue” and “ever after” has changed, these role models are obsolete.”
Richard Reid, Grand Forks Art Gallery Director
“Broca’s version of Lilith rings truer than what you find in the feminist media. Broca draws the wings and the warts, – the love and the anger. Her art embraces not only the politically correct birth from the soil of Eden, but all the nastiness of Lilith’s life after the fall.”
Paula Brook, Columnist, The Vancouver Sun
“Recalling the Symbolist ‘femme fatale’ of the late nineteenth century, Lilian Broca presents at the end of this century an archetypal Lilith charged with creative and destructive energies. From a thoughtful, well-researched study of Lilith’s origins and interpretations, and with an imagination that understands and dreams angels, Broca reconstructs Lilith’s mythological tale. In the process Lilith’s story becomes a women’s collective narrative that explores what can happen when as Broca says ”the world puts a lid on you… when you have a sense of dignity and somebody tries to oppress you.” In a language reminiscent of William Blake who created angels at once figurative, conceptual and personalized, Lilith’s expressive body, projected against a drama of light and darkness, turns into Eve’s other as female exile and alien.”
Loren Lerner, PhD, Assistant Dean, Research and Grad. Studies, Concordia University, Assoc. Prof. of Art History