"Janet Shafner is one of the most exciting and intelligent painters I have come across in many years. As an observant Jewish artist she has chosen Tanach, Midrash, Talmud and its commentaries as her inspiration and subject matter. In crafting her complex images she utilizes a talmudic visual paradigm offering midrashic and/or modern images as a kind of "counter text" that contrasts with her biblical depiction that forms the main visual "text" of most works.

"Many of her exegetical observations liberate the plain meaning of the narratives and thus assume startling contemporary meanings. This exhibition is a truly ground breaking event in Jewish art because Shafner sees the biblical in creative tension with contemporary thought. Thirty-six of her paintings from the last fifteen years will be on view until June 8 at the Lyman Allyn Art Museum in New London, Connecticut.

"Shafner's use of this talmudic paradigm is inherently critical and analytical, producing a rare combination of visual excitement and intellectual stimulation that frequently explores subjects concerning women. While she is especially interested in women who take destiny into their own hands or whose role, even as victims, becomes pivotal, she is not a strident feminist and always creates art that delves into the manifold meanings of each subject."  (Read the full article from Richard McBee.)