Profound Studies

The woodcuts of Margaret Adams Parker bring humanity to divine subject matter.

By: Susan Van Dongen

"Now wash yourself, and anoint yourself, and put on your best dress, and go down to the threshing floor." The Erdman Gallery at Princeton Theological Seminary is exhibiting Drawn from Scripture: Woodcuts and Sculpture, featuring works by Margaret Adams Parker.

   When we see images of tragedies such as the after-effects of
war or natural disasters, we often say the horror is "biblical" in proportion.
For example, the recent footage of people fleeing the fighting in Iraq with just
their bare- bones belongings conjured thoughts of Old Testament horror stories.
   However, in many Bibles and other religious books — especially
those published in the Victorian era — the illustrations did anything but
match the fire and brimstone in the pages. The images often had a fantasy quality,
with beautiful, natural settings and soft, air-brushed faces on even the most
grief-stricken characters.
   Printmaker and sculptor Margaret Adams Parker, who frequently
uses religious subject matter in her art, goes against this romanticized style.
She crafts the characters in her works to look as human as possible. These aren’t
botoxed movie stars surrounded by Botticelli angels — they’re authentic people
with real expressions on their flawed faces, ragged clothing draped on their weary
frames.
   "My great hero is Rembrandt," she says, speaking from her home
in Alexandria, Va. "When Rembrandt depicted scripture, he showed it as though
it was happening to people like you and me. He showed not only the better-known
characters, but also beggars on the street or women teaching their children to
walk. It’s as though these were all holy things to him, so there was no line between
the sacred and the secular."
   Ms. Parker has taken special care to employ this philosophy
in a series of woodcuts that accompany Ellen F. Davis’ new translation of the
Book of Ruth (Westminster John Knox). A number of prints from the "Ruth"
series, as well as prints from Ms. Parker’s "Jerusalem" and "Stations of the Cross"
portfolios, are on view at Princeton Theological Seminary’s Erdman Gallery through
June 27. A cast of Ms. Parker’s poignant "Mary" sculpture — installed on
the grounds of the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. — is also included
in the exhibit, Drawn from Scripture: Woodcuts and Sculpture.
   An adjunct lecturer in visual arts at Virginia Theological Seminary
in Alexandria, Ms. Parker is an ardent supporter of using visual art to tell tales
of faith and religion. However, she is just as adamant about not sugarcoating
those stories and messages.
   "If you look at many of the illustrations of the Ruth story,
artists make it look like a fairy tale," Ms. Parker says. "I’ve given my Ruth
images a more serious quality, though. To me, it’s the story of two widows —
starving refugees crossing the border into a strange land. Because they’re hungry,
the younger widow goes out into the field to harvest something to eat.
   "I believe these people would look much less glamorous than
you’d see in certain colorful, romantic representations," she continues. "They’d
be more like the people we see on the evening news, the ones who have crossed
the border with all their possessions on their backs, carrying babies on their
hips."
   The images from the Ruth series show barefoot women, cloaked
in the traditional garb of the time. Many of the faces wear worried expressions
and the woman are depicted as isolated and afraid, but give each other solace
generously. This is another way that Ms. Parker’s prints go against some of the
more Romantic religious images, which show blissful characters bathed in light,
comforted by the Holy Spirit instead of other human beings.
   "’Lament’ is a large theme in my work, such as images of refugees,"
Ms. Parker says. "Something that’s beautiful can also be wrenching."
   Ms. Parker reflects on a series of prints she made, inspired
by several weeks in Jerusalem when the situation there was fairly peaceful, but
turned violent just weeks later.
   "When I came back from the Middle East, I created an exhibit
based on those memories," Ms. Parker says. "(The show) started out as a celebration
of the beauty of the city and by the time I was done it had turned into a lament.
It seemed sad that these images from 23 centuries ago were still appropriate today
in Jerusalem."

"And the woman was left without her two boys and without her husband, " by Margaret Adams Parker.

   Ms. Parker’s work as an artist is intimately tied to her work
within the church. She’s been an adjunct art instructor at Virginia Theological
Seminary for almost a decade. In addition to applied art, Ms. Parker enjoys talking
about the connections between the visual arts and the church.
   "In religious teachings, we’re more accustomed to the written
language," Ms. Parker says. "Of course, the Bible is written in words, sermons
are preached in words, theology is written and read in words. But I teach that
the visual arts are simply another language we can use to talk about faith."
   Ms. Parker’s works often depict religious and Biblical themes
and are housed in centers for spiritual and religious instruction. Her sculpture
"Ruth and Naomi" is on permanent loan at the Addison Academic Center at VTS. A
cast of her sculpture "Mary" is installed in the Chapel of St. Augustine at the
College of Preachers on the grounds of Washington’s National Cathedral. It was
dedicated by the Most Rev. and Right Honorable George L. Cary, the Archbishop
of Canterbury.
   Ms. Parker is a summa cum laude graduate of Wellesley College.
She holds a master of fine arts from American University, where she was awarded
the Wolpoff Prize for works on paper and the Glassman Prize as Outstanding Woman
Artist. Ms. Parker has exhibited in numerous solo and group shows, and has written
papers and articles for scholarly and mainstream publications. Her prints and
sculptures are in permanent collections at American University, the National Institutes
of Health and the District of Columbia City Government building.
   She started off as a painter, but evolved into a printmaker
and sculptor because she likes making her art accessible.
   "I like the idea of making a multiple, which is what most printmaking
media do," Ms. Parker says. "Anybody can have an image. My students can buy them
or I can give them to my friends. Also, I like printmaking because the print is
a medium that has been used for political as well as spiritual causes. I love
the fact that they have been — and still are — being used in those ways.
   "Of course, the woodcut was really the earliest print in the
western world," she says, reflecting on the "ordinary" quality of the materials
used in making woodcuts. "I enjoy using these very basic techniques, exactly the
same ones that would have been used by medieval artists making woodcuts. That
connection is thrilling to me. I’m not using a laser or a computer, I’m using
a knife, wood, ink and paper. It’s very simple and very direct. I’m interested
in the holiness and beauty of the ordinary."
   When he dedicated "Mary," the Archbishop of Canterbury complimented
Ms. Parker on the natural quality of the sculpture, calling it "a profound study."
   "He commented on my theological approach to Mary, seeing her
as just an ordinary young Jewish girl, barefoot and cradling her baby," Ms. Parker
says. "Everyone, I hope, can look at my image of Mary and feel what it’s like
when you’ve had a baby. There’s a sense of your own vulnerability, felt through
the baby’s vulnerability.
   "I think there’s a universal quality in all great works of religious
art," she says. "How many people — who aren’t necessarily religious —
have been touched by a painting like ‘The Return of the Prodigal Son’ by Rembrandt?
It’s essentially a reunion between a father and a son. Yes, it’s in the Bible,
but it’s also an experience that everybody can identify with. I hope the same
thing is true with the Ruth images."
Drawn from Scripture: Woodcuts and Sculpture by Margaret Adams Parker, is on
view at the Erdman Gallery, Princeton Theological Seminary, 20 Library Place,
Princeton, through June 27. Gallery talk and reception June 24, 4 p.m. Gallery
hours: Mon.-Sat. 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Sun., 2:30-6:30 p.m. For information, call
(609) 497-7990. On the Web: www.ptsem.edu/ce