Ekaterina Aristova, Golden Bull (Golden Calf), 61x50cm, gold leaf gilding, golden oil stick, acrylic on linen, Paris 2024
Giving the biblical name to the artwork, the artist suggests reflecting on the fate of the inhabitants of the Promised Land as a destiny linked to the current tragic events in the region.
The golden calf is an idol mentioned in the Old Testament as an object of worship for Israel who apostatized God.
During the exodus, when Moses was on Mount Sinai and the people left without him began to complain, Aaron, to calm the people, made a golden calf from gold jewelry collected from the Jews, who was accepted by the people as God. Moses, who came down from Sinai, became angry and said to them: “Thus says the God: <...> kill every man his brother” (Exodus 32:27). This was achieved and around three thousand people were killed that day.
The image of the golden calf is also evoked in the aria of Méphistophélès from the opera “Faust” by Charles Gounod and in the Russian novel “The Golden Calf” by Ilf and Petrov as a symbol of human greed. and wealth.