Recently I have been painting a collection of religious pictures heavily influenced by Byzantine and popular Catholic art. Basically, they’re pictures of Jesus and his earthly family, reflecting the stories of the gospels, covered in gold.
Believe it or not, I haven’t really gotten into making such literal religious imagery before now. There are the obvious hang ups: you can’t depict things the way they “really were.” Many religious people think it’s distasteful or even sinful to depict something as holy as a deity. Then again, some other denominations love religious images so much they end up worshiping icons instead of the real thing.
I decided I didn’t care about reasons not to. The fact is, paintings of my Lord have shaped and dominated the world of art for centuries. To me, that’s beautiful. In the end, I don’t think anything matters but that people meditated on the true events of the life of Christ long and hard, imagined images to represent them, and provided new and glorious ways for others to experience that message. Yes, a lot of ancient religious art was used to scare people into penance, and a lot of it was made to show off the dominance and wealth of the church. But you cannot throw away the good with the bad. A lot of people in the ancient world were unable to read, and could understand the gospel through pictures. Some of the most beautiful and enduring stuff made by mankind are our pictures of the divine. And in my mind, to paint something is to glorify it. It’s an endeavor that causes you to know a subject intimately, and to be able to express it profoundly to the world.
I'm really interested in the early Christians who first imagined these images that have effected our view of the Christian story for so long. Jake got me a book on it by John Lowden. This is what he has to say:
“Early Christian and Byzantine artists invented and defined the Christian tradition in visual representation that dominated European art until recent times. The images and structures they created to embody the visible and invisible worlds of religious experience and belief were visually and intellectually so satisfying that their tradition was maintained, even through periods that sought self-consciously to throw off the burden of the past.”
This too, was a striking comment about the purpose of original Christian imagry:
“Images like words shape ideas as well as expressing them, and Early Christian and Byzantine art was profoundly ideological. But it was also an art that was made to be gazed at long and passionately. “
I’ve spent a lot of time feeling intimate with my Savior doing these pieces. There’s something extra special about the gospels compared to the rest of the Bible. Those red lettered ought to never be ignored: all we ever need to know about the character of God the Father is found in the son. He is the image of the invisible God. Yet I’m perpetually amazed by the humanness of Jesus: the fact that he had friends and a mom and got hungry and, of course, felt sorrow.
I started these around Christmas, so I’ve done quite a bit with Mary. I love Mary. The faith and obedience of this little, poverty stricken Hebrew girl is unparallely precious. Painting her and the Christ child, I think about how much they both didn’t know at that point. He’s just a newborn. She doesn’t know what’s coming. But she’s trusting God exactly where she’s at. It’s a much humbler and bleaker picture than most of history has painted for us. It reminds me of these lyrics by Peirce Pettis:
Gentile temples, stained glass swirls
Cherubim with Golden curls
Oh, how unlike your Hebrew world
Meriam
The next image is a very conceptual peice, visually referencing "The Ecstacy of St. Theresa" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecstasy_of_Saint_Theresa) It's meant to depict the holiness bestowed on us when we recieve the healing blood of his sacrifice. I made the image very flat, and incooperated goldleaf for a halo just like the ancients did. Here it is so far:
The painting that I'm working on now is the biggest and most exciting: a Pieta. A Pieta is a religious scene that’s been done over and over and over throughout history. It depicts Mary and oftentimes St. John and Mary Magdalene cradling Jesus’ dead body after it has been removed from the cross. (You may recall Michelangelo’s sculpture) This scene never actually appears in the gospels, but is implied by the company who were present at the time of Christ’s death. It’s a solemn and powerful image: our God’s beloved family mourning him, remembering their lives with him, and left utterly confused and shaken by his death. I wanted Christ’s mother to be the only one making eye contact; for all the blood to be gone from her face. Although still mostly unfinished, painting my own pieta has been a powerful experience
Whenever I paint, regardless of the subject matter, I do it as an act of worship to God. He’s the one who has given me the ability to create and to imagine. He’s the one who lets my hands move, brain think, and eyes see. A part of my spirit was designed by him to feel more alive in the act of making. I think that scripture reflects how God values the use and development of our skills and talents. Psalm 33: 2-3 is a verse that convinces me of that: “Praise the Lord with melodies on the lyre; make music for him on the ten-stringed harp. Sing new songs of praise to him; play skillfully on the harp and sing for joy.”
I like this passage for so many reasons. It tells us that there ought to be newness and freshness to our worship, because the gospel is not something that can be exhausted. Our understanding of God is never tired or complete, because he is infinite, and there is always more to experience. The worshippers are told here to play skillfully: value is placed on their talents. God has gifted us with abilities for the express purpose that we might use them to praise his name. To develop your skills to the zenith of their potential is a godly and worthwhile endeavor, and one that can be used to serve others and get you closer to the heart of Christ.
So, remember: “Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10: 31)
No comments:
Post a Comment