Noahic Covenant

In Noahic Covenant, Kopel Gurwin interprets the biblical promise of renewal following the Flood. Noah sits upon a gently undulating landscape of Hebrew lettering, his arms raised toward a winged figure descending from above. Between them, a brilliant rainbow sweeps across the dark background, giving visual form to the sign of the covenant between God and humanity.

The composition contrasts the expansive black central field with an elaborate ornamental border in silvery gray, magenta, and pink. Stylized birds, flowers, and intricate foliate patterns fill the surrounding frame, while the rainbow introduces vivid bands of blue, green, yellow, orange, and red. The arrangement creates a striking interplay between the concentrated biblical scene and the richly patterned world that encloses it.

Across the lower portion of the work, passages from Genesis are rendered in Gurwin’s distinctive Hebrew letterforms. Arranged in sweeping bands of turquoise and blue, the words evoke the movement of water while remaining an integral part of the visual composition. The precise cutting and layering of felt, together with carefully defined contours and decorative stitching, unite image, text, and ornament within a richly tactile surface.

The biblical account describes God’s covenant with Noah and all living creatures, with the rainbow established as its enduring sign. Gurwin transforms this promise into an image of encounter and reassurance, where the waters of the Flood give way to a renewed relationship between heaven and earth. Through color, symbolism, and the integration of sacred text, the work presents the covenant as both a biblical event and an expression of continuity and hope.