“Noli me Tangere” Léon, Spain, ca. 1115-20. Ivory, traces of gilding. Image/Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
‘Noli me tangere’: A reflection in the time of pandemic
By Pamela A. Lewis Touch is one of our most powerful senses, connecting us with our environment as well as with other human beings and creatures. Much of the world would be meaningless were it not possible for us to experience it through our sense of touch, and human relationships, partly built and nurtured by touch, would feel incomplete without it. It is not entirely metaphorical when we speak of the “human touch,” suggesting as it does that touch transmits something significant from giver to recipient.
Top, the Rev. C. Melissa Hall named her paintings on wood she found along the Hudson River in Hoboken, N.J., “River Bones.” Left, Debra Cook’s painting “Holy Week” using acrylic, watercolor and gold leaf. Right, the Rev. Lynne Bleich Weber painted “Coastal Impressions 2” during the COVID-19 pandemic. Images/courtesy of the artists.
Artworks help buoy the spirit during widespread crisis
By Sharon Sheridan As the COVID-19 pandemic forced people across the world to shelter in place, many turned to the arts for entertainment, solace and inspiration. To help lift readers’ spirits during this continuing global health crisis, Episcopal Journal offers these profiles and pictures from painters, the Rev. C. Melissa Hall, Debra Cook and the Rev. Lynne Bleich Weber, in the Diocese of Newark (N.J.).
