The rabbi and the painter /

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Based on stories handed down from the past, The Rabbi and the Painter tells of the unique relationship between the 15th Century Rabbi Judah Areyeh di Modena and the Venetian painter Tintoretto. Modena's interests extended far beyond the typical confines of the ghetto's synagogue life to the secular world around him, while Tintoretto breaks all the artistic rules of the Renaissance with his mannerist painting style. In The Rabbi and the Painter we are transported to a place where cultures mixed to create a breathtaking masterpiece.

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Kirkus Book Review

Two distinguished Venetians, one a rabbi and one a painter of Christian images, might have been friends. Rabbi Judah Areyeh, also known as Rabbi Leon of Modena, and Jacobo Robusti, famous as Tintoretto, were contemporaries in late-16th-century Venice. In a story that imagines their chance encounter and friendship, Rabbi Leon is depicted as atypically curious about the world outside the Jewish ghetto and learns to speak Italian. Tintoretto, who paints with an emphasis on emotion rather than the conventional rules of perspective, has been commissioned to paint a scene of the Last Supper for a church. In this imagined relationship, the rabbi shares his knowledge of the Passover Seder with the receptive painter. The 1594 painting that results is accepted by the church as a masterpiece. The text focuses more on Tintoretto's techniques than on the learned Rabbi Leon, and the cartoon illustrations are only a simplistic view of Venice, with blues and reds predominating. Readers may ponder the possibilities or the probabilities of the story. The subject matter--Jewish-Christian friendship--is certainly of historical and current importance. However, the picture-book format aims for too young an audience for a substantive treatment. Readers wishing to see an accurate reproduction of Tintoretto's painting will need to seek one elsewhere. Jew and Christian work together in this superficial imagined story. (historical notes, sources) (Picture book. 6-9) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.