by Cedric | Oct 1, 2022 | Art, General
Paul Gustave Louis Christophe Doré completed this oeuvre in 1868. He was best known for his wood engravings, of which he completed 241 depicting scenes of the Bible. The below is either a painting or a wooden engraving which has been coloured. It depicts Christ’s dominion over pagan gods. I was inspired by the Apostle’s Creed to search for depictions of Christ in Hell, where He went after dying on the cross to free the sinners who were condemned to Hell prior to His life on Earth. This is and event Catholics profess in the shorter creed each day before praying the rosary. I have included a portion of the Apostle’s Creed below (emphasis added):
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
Two realms are shown in a dramatic scene. Christ has come to a place almost resembling Hell (complete with red Zeus and Satan flying) to exert His dominion over them. The kingdom of Heaven is the only kingdom which we should aspire to enter. This scene shows this belief in action: Christ has come down with a host of angels to cast away previous gods and those which were worshipped in antiquity. I like in particular the crown in the centre of the lower portion of the work, which is a further reinforcement of Christ’s dominion and primacy.
I found a very useful version of this on Reddit which is labelled:
You can almost hear the sound of Christ appearing with the host, a great boom! As Cardinal Sarah writes in The Power of Silence, “the voice of God resounded in the realm of death. The unimaginable occurred, namely, Love penetrated “hell””. While not the same event, the reflection is the same. Believing in Catholicism is opening oneself to love. Anything else is just noise. Christ is very much the truth and He loves us in a way that we cannot possibly comprehend. So much so that God sent Christ to liberate us from our sinful nature and to set an example for us. I can say without hesitation that I have never been happier than when attempting to follow HIs example.
I felt the same dramatic awakening as depicted in this work when truly opening myself us to the Church.
by Cedric | Sep 24, 2022 | Art, General
Honthorst was a Dutch Golden Age painter who became known for his depiction of artificially lit scenes, eventually receiving the nickname Gherardo delle Notti (“Gerard of the Nights”). Honthorst was influenced by the works of Caravaggio, specifically with respect to the lighting effects in the latter’s paintings. The more famous painting of his was The Adoration of the Shepards. Below is the Adoration of the Christ Child. This is a very special painting and calls to mind the opening words of St John’s Gospel, which used to be said at each Mass. I have included these in English and Latin below.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
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in principio erat Verbum et Verbum erat apud Deum et Deus erat Verbum 2 hoc erat in principio apud Deum 3 omnia per ipsum facta sunt et sine ipso factum est nihil quod factum est 4 in ipso vita erat et vita erat lux hominum 5 et lux in tenebris lucet et tenebrae eam non conprehenderunt
The lighting in the above photograph does not show the two figures on the left with the requisite clarity for us to appreciate that they are in fact angels. I have included a brighter photograph below. The kindliness of these angels looking down on the Christ child after he has been born is very endearing. The light on their faces as they pray to Him is rendered with such reverence and quiet beauty that is rather overwhelms me. One of the advantages of discussing works of Christian art, as I have been doing of late, is that it helps me deepen in the faith. Reflecting on works produced by the faithful which came before me helps me to see how inspired they were by Christ’s teaching. To produce a work such as this shows real love for, and understanding of, the subject matter.
Christ is the way the truth and the light. In Him, as John says, is the light of all people. This light shines forth from the Christ child and illuminates all those around Him. This indeed is a metaphor for His effect in our lives and hearts, should we choose to accept Him.
Mary is rendered beautifully, looking serene and at peace, having delivered into the world the greatest gift of all. Jospeh, stoic and silent as ever, stands behind, watchful and fatherly. Joseph is solent throughout the Gospels, he is not recorded as having spoken at all. This divine silence is a testament to the depth of his service to God in bringing up His only son, in a quiet and dignified manner. Christ is not Joseph’s son, of course. This was put forcefully to Joseph when he and Mary discovered Jesus in the Temple. I discussed this event of the Gospel in May, reflecting on a beautiful painting by Holman Hunt. Christ Himself is the picture of tranquility, radiating light and appearing only in mild discomfort.
This painting has moved me and I hope it will help you in some measure, or indeed brighten up your day.
by Cedric | Sep 16, 2022 | Art, General
Murillo remains one of the most influential painters in Europe. He in turn took inspiration from Velasquez and Zurbarán. The painting we will be discussing today is his depiction of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin. This episode is not explicitly in the Bible. Mary was assumed into heavenly glory, body and soul, and this assumption was dogmatically defined by Pius XII in 1950 in Munificentissimus Deus. So as official church dogma, Catholics are bound to believe it. We have covered a number of Assumption depictions in recent weeks and this one is very special indeed.
Murillo was the leading painter in Seville in the later 17th century. He remained one of the most admired and popular of all European artists in the 18th and early 19th centuries. His early works were much influenced by the early works of Velázquez, executed before Velázquez left Seville in 1623, and by the paintings of Zurbarán. National Gallery
Some depictions of the Assumption, like this one, show Mary as child like, on her way up to heaven. Indeed in my favourite depiction by Fra Angelico, Mary is shown in the bottom panel (her dormition) being held by Jesus, as a baby. Mary is shown on her way up to heaven, surrounded by a host of cherubs. These baby angels seem to be swirling around her and pulling her higher. The glow behind her head seems to emphasise her purity. Murillo also invites us to bask in her light and appreciate her purity. The fabric is rendered beautifully with clear movement. The dark purple of her robe further emphasises her divinity and royalty. She was from the house of David, after all.
Everything in this painting from the cherubs pushing Mary upwards to the billowing clouds about her and the glow her presence lends the scene is marvellous. I will think of this when praying the rosary on Wednesdays and Sundays when meditating upon this glorious mystery.
by Cedric | Sep 8, 2022 | Art, General
This will be the first in a trio of Marian art which I will be covering, and on Our Lady’s birthday no less. Living in the faith, one encounters the Virgin Mary with some frequency. Indeed those who pray the rosary daily, as I try to do, repeat the Hail Mary prayer 53 times. This may seem like a lot but I assure you it is meditative and very calming. The below is a masterpiece by Spanish painter Diego Velasquez. This piece was painted alongside a painting of Saint John the Evangelist on the Island of Patmos (where he was exiled), around 1618. I first discovered this painting when I saw it on Charlotte’s wall. She has the most beautiful thick gold frame for this work which highlights it.
Velázquez painted these two works as companion pieces during his early career in Seville, in around 1618. They were perhaps intended to promote the recent celebrations in the city of a papal decree defending the mystery of the Immaculate Conception, the belief that the Virgin Mary was conceived without sin.
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Saint John and the Virgin both appear in the foreground, surrounded by objects identifying who they are, strongly illuminated from the top left. The colours of the Virgin’s clothes are echoed in reverse in Saint John’s, and both paintings demonstrate Velázquez’s skill in conveying a strong contrast between light and shade.
The below is, for me, a masterpiece in reverence and execution. Mary is shown standing on the world, praying, with her eyes cast downwards, lovingly. She is praying for us. She has a glow which contrasts with the dark world below, as though to emphasise her holiness. The twelve stars with which Jesus crowned her adorn her head with a supernatural glow. The clouds seem to be lifting her higher and the orange heavenly light behind her emphasises her yet further.
The Immaculate Conception is not to be confused with the Virgin Birth. The latter is Mary’s conception of Jesus. The former speaks of Mary having been conceived free from sin herself. This is an important distinction.
This painting, as aforementioned, is twinned with another, below. I should really do a whole post on the below separate from this one. I love how John is looking lovingly at a celestial light and the angel in it, as though to suggest that his next destination after Patmos will be heaven. The fabric of his clothing, much like the last painting, is rendered beautifully. Its lighting and movement is clear to the viewer. He is writing a book here, perhaps the Book of Revelation, which was written in Patmos.
John the Evangelist
These two paintings are quite extraordinary together. The former is of particular interest to me. Charlotte and I have spent many hours praying in front of this Mary painting and increasing our devotion to Our Lady. It is only fitting that we share this beloved painting with you, on this her birthday.
by Cedric | Sep 4, 2022 | Art, General
After murdering some 20-50 spiders, and cleaning the pedalo (a human-powered watercraft propelled by the action of pedals turning a paddle wheel), in France, Charlotte and I went out onto the lake. It was a glorious July day with temperatures up to 37 degrees. Being out there, floating in the windless afternoon, only the sounds of nature around us, the prefect blue sky – this was a scene of utter serenity and peace. Out of nowhere, Charlotte, as is often her wont, started citing Keats. Below is the poem she cited. It is short, but, as usual, unutterably beautiful. The theme and setting of the poem reflect the following words of John Milton in Paradise lost book IX.
As one who, long in populous city pent,
Where houses thik and sewers annoy the air,
Forth issuing on a summer’s morn,
to breathe Among the villagers and farms.
See Keats’ poem below:
To one who has been long in city pent,
‘Tis very sweet to look into the fair
And open face of heaven,—to breathe a prayer
Full in the smile of the blue firmament.
Who is more happy, when, with heart’s content,
Fatigued he sinks into some pleasant lair
Of wavy grass, and reads a debonair
And gentle tale of love and languishment?
Returning home at evening, with an ear
Catching the notes of Philomel,—an eye
Watching the sailing cloudlet’s bright career,
He mourns that day so soon has glided by:
E’en like the passage of an angel’s tear
That falls through the clear ether silently.
Keats is perhaps in poetry what Graham Greene is to me in literature. Both poet and author speak to my soul and touch me in a way few have been able to. I cannot tell you the effect this poem had as my beloved and I glided across the water slowly, looking up and the clear open face of heaven. The blue firmament (heaven) above us seemed to go on for eternity and was reflected in the tranquil water surrounding us. This was our pleasant lair. We walked along wavy grass (which was very dry in honesty) and did indeed read.
This poem talks about the joy of escaping one’s busy city life. As two people who live in the city centre of Birmingham, the escape to the middle of France was much needed and very rewarding. Although there is a sadder note to the poem, once the trip to the countryside is over. The day in the countryside which is the subject of the poem reflects that the day has passed by as quickly as the falling of the tear of an angel.
We, too, mourned that our beautiful holiday in the French countryside, away from light pollution, noise and busyness of our city lives. We long in city pent were most grateful for a golden afternoon on the water, which was over too soon.
by Cedric | Aug 27, 2022 | Art, General
I do not know much about this artist. I understand that he was born in Mora in Sweden, between two lakes (the Siljan and the Örasjön).. He studied at the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts from 1875-1880 then spent time travelling around Europe, painting. The lady in the painting is Emma Zorn, the artist’s wife. The painting, to my astonishment, is a watercolour, and was rendered in 1886.
I love water in art. In my early appreciation of art and exploration of art galleries I found myself drawn to paintings with water. The Van de Velde ship scenes spoke to me most. The above is a staggering rendition of a lovely episode on the water. Zorn has somehow managed, in watercolour, to evoke the fluid movement of the water on the lake. The reflections of the sun on the water and the perspective change of the water as it recedes into the distance and the movement around the boat are deeply impressive. But the mastery of the medium is not only in relation to depicting water and light, it also extends to persons. Mrs Zorn is being helped into her boat by Carl Gustav Dahlström, a family friend. Both of these are depicted accurately, I like in particular Mrs Zorn’s dress. The boat itself is painted exquisitely. The tones of the wood are shown expertly.
But the overall beauty of the painting is striking for another reason. When we were in France earlier this month, Charlotte and I went to town cleaning a pedalo so we could go for a ride (water-cycle?) on a lake near my grandfather’s house. This touching scene is reminiscent of one which we had after I was swatting out spiders and clearing leaves. The following few hours pedalling, swimming, reading and listening to Chopin were some of the most magical in our lives. She also read me some Keats which may feature in an upcoming blog…
