THE EXHIBITION 'THE JESUS SCANDAL' AT THE HAMBURGER KUNSTHALLE CENTRES ON AN OIL PAINTING OF PIVOTAL STANDING, 'THE TWELVE YEAR OLD JESUS IN THE TEMPLE'. ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT WORKS BY MAX LIEBERMANN (1847–1935), IT IS BEING HIGHLIGHTED TO MARK THE 75th ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARTIST'S DEATH. WHEN THE ARTIST SHOWED THE PAINTING FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 1879 AT THE MUNICH INTERNATIONAL ART EXHIBITION IT SPARKED A SCANDAL. CONTEMPORARY CRITICS TOOK OFFENSE THAT THE JEWISH PAINTER SHOULD DARE TO ADDRESS THE CHRISTIAN THEME OF THE 'THE TWELVE YEAR OLD JESUS IN THE TEMPLE', ESPECIALLY AS HE DEPICTED THE 'SAVIOR' AS A 'JEWISH URCHIN' OFF THE STREETS. LIEBERMANN WAS ADMONISHED FOR HAVING STRAYED TOO FAR FROM THE TRADITIONAL PORTRAYAL OF THE YOUNG CHRIST AS A DIVINE YOUTH AND OF HIS INTELLECTUAL SUPERIORITY OVER THE JEWISH SCHOLARS. YET THE ANTI-SEMITICALLY TINGED ACCUSATIONS FAILED, ON THE ONE HAND, TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT LIEBERMANN LED HIS LIFE AS AN ASSIMILATED JEW. ON THE OTHER, THEY MISJUDGED HIS ARTISTIC INTENTION OF SEEKING TO RENDER THE SCENE IN THE MOST REALISTIC WAY POSSIBLE. THE OUTRAGE THIS PAINTING EXCITED UPSET LIEBERMANN SO MUCH THAT IN THE FOLLOWING YEARS HE OVER-PAINTED THE FIGURE OF CHRIST. 'THE TWELVE YEAR OLD JESUS IN THE TEMPLE' IS ONE OF THE FEW RELIGIOUS PAINTINGS BY LIEBERMANN, AS WELL AS ONE OF HIS EARLIEST. TODAY IT HAS LOST NONE OF ITS RELEVANCE AND FASCINATION, AND WITH A SUBJECT THAT STRIKES AT THE ROOTS OF BOTH RELIGIONS, JUDAISM AND CHRISTIANITY, REMAINS HIGHLY CONTROVERSIAL. THIS WORK FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE HAMBURGER KUNSTHALLE STILL RAISES NUMEROUS QUESTIONS CONCERNING ITS ORIGINS AND HISTORY AND IN TERMS OF THE SCANDAL AND LIEBERMANN'S OWN POSITION IN THE CONTEXT OF THE RELIGIOUS DEBATES AND SOCIAL CHANGES IN THE LATE 19th CENTURY.
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