Old halos, new paintings

Contemporary art can be so confusing. What does the golden Michael Jackson-plus-chimpanzee sculpture mean? Or why are these scribbles considered art and priced at thousands of dollars? In the early days of Christianity, art’s primary purpose was to promote the religion. Modern-day artist Melanie Marchant Meschery happens to really love painting iconic images from hundreds of years ago. Yes, that includes those flat gold halos. Her impetus to recreate classics was because pupils in her college art-history class lacked enthusiasm about the old works in their decayed state. Now, the Sacramento Fine Arts Center has tapped her as a judge for a group show dedicated to Old World art called In the Style of the Old Masters.

This show begins on Tuesday, July 15, and ends on Saturday, July 26, with a reception. But the SFAC will also be open on Second Saturday, hosting a reception for the Northern California Arts annual membership show, 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.