A new exhibition of paintings by Max Miller opens next week at the Yesheva University Museum on West 16^th Street. While the subject of this suite of 50 watercolors and 2 large works on canvas - the Jewish mourner's Kaddish - is indeed dolorous, the paintings themselves are a joyous celebration of life.

Left to right: Cuban Hebrew Congregation, Miami Beach, FL; Chabad, Burlington, VT; Temple Judeah, Coral Gables, FL. Copyright Max Miller, courtesy of the artist.

I met the artist for a preview of the show last week and my first question was about the traditional mourning of a parent, in this case his father. "Saying Kaddish," Miller replied, "is done every day for eleven months in a synagogue during the daily service. There has to be a gathering of ten, called a minyan, in order to open the torah for prayer." He went on to explain that the Kaddish prayer invokes the glory of God, and the daily ritual reflects honor on the deceased.

The vibrant watercolors on view depict the synagogues Miller visited in New York, Vermont, Florida, and Ohio - wherever he traveled during the period of mourning. The congregations he visited cover a range of social and religious settings, from the wealthy Upper East Side of Manhattan to a declining temple on the Lower East Side that was subsequently razed after its roof caved in. Through the ritual of saying Kaddish, Miller arrived at a point where art and religion combined to transform the paintings into expressionistic, sometimes ecstatic, devotional images.

One of the most eccentric is the Cuban Hebrew Synagogue in Miami Beach, a quavering white tower with oval windows set against a vibrant sky full of dancing biomorphic shapes. Another Miami Beach synagogue, Temple Menorah, designed by the great Modernist architect Morris Lapidus (1902-2001) becomes a shimmering jewel that reflects the Moorish heritage of the Sephardic Jewish community it serves.

A tiny progressive synagogue in Vermont, where he was teaching at the time, became one of Miller's regular stops. Here the daily gathering of ten, corralled through email messages from the rabbi, often included women in order to reach a quorum. The artist painted an interior scene suffused in brilliant hues of pink and gold that reflects his appreciation for the synagogue, which ordinarily held only a Sabbath service.

Miller is a master of the night scene, and the dark interior aglow with chandeliers and stained glass windows. The intimate scale of these paintings invites a close look, which is rewarded by incredible details sparely rendered. Two large paintings on canvas form a counterpoint to the procession of watercolors that encircle the gallery. "Mourner's Kaddish," a 9 x 8 foot triptych in deep shades of ultramarine painted in oil and encaustic, provides a visual refuge of peace and contemplation.

Final Mourner's Kaddish: 333 Days in Paintings by Max Miller is on view at the Yeshiva University Museum from March 24 - August 16, 2009. 15 West 16^th Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues), New York, NY. 212.294.8330. Please visit the website for information.

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