Art Exhibit on Loan at the Briscoe Library

BravermanSheldon P. Braverman, M.D., a practicing ophthalmologist in San Antonio has loaned five paintings to be displayed in the lobby of the Briscoe Library during February in honor of Black History Month. Three oil paintings are part of a collection of work by Dr. Braverman. The subjects he selects are often taken from photographs that he finds provocative. Two of the paintings were inspired from photos in the Family of Man exhibit which was originally shown at The Museum of Modern Art in 1955. Although quite somber, they are thought provoking. The third oil painting is from a jazz record cover illustrating the funeral tradition in New Orleans of the joyous return from the burial. Dr. Braverman invites the viewer to create his own narrative as to the life situation depicted in the paintings and hopes they stimulate and provide food for thought.

Two additional paintings are signed watercolors by New Orleans artists, also from Dr. Braverman’s personal art collection. These colorful paintings featuring black jazz musicians are so vivid, one can almost hear the strains of the music.

Dr. Braverman served as a clinical professor, Department of Ophthalmology at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio from the early 1970’s until 2010. He took up the hobby of painting as a teenager and completed his last painting 1 month ago.

References:

Museum of Modern Art, New York. The Family of Man: The greatest photographic exhibition of all time—503 pictures from 68 countries—created by Edward Steichen for the Museum of Modern Art. New York, Maco Magazine Corporation, 1955.

Steichen, Edward (2003) [1955]. The Family of Man. New York: The Museum of Modern Art.

Jonquil Feldman
Director, Briscoe Library and Outreach Services
feldman@uthscsa.edu

 

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