Albert Bierstadt created numerous paintings of the American West, including this masterpiece, which is six feet high and ten feet wide. It is now part of an exhibit at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Bierstadt took his paintings on tours in which he would dramatically unveil them to audiences.
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| Vincent van Gogh, Field with poppies, 1888 |
In 1888, Vincent van Gogh moved to Arles, France, where he was extremely prolific. This painting is from that period. According to his Wikipedia article, "The portrayals of Arles are informed by Van Gogh's Dutch upbringing; the
patchworks of fields and avenues appear flat and lacking perspective, but excel in their use of colour."
In 2013, we were fortunate to visit the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, where we saw many works by this talented artist. We brought home a postcard of this work (one of many with bright red poppies); the postcard has the following information: Vincent van Gogh 1853-1890 Field with poppies / Arles, May 1888, oil on canvas, 24 x 35 cm / Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation).
See, for instance, this video of a performance by the Netherlands Bach Society.
[It] is both a musical and theological tour de force. In this 20-minute-long work (also known as Actus tragicus) Bach organizes biblical texts, Lutheran melodies, and instrumental textures to convey the comforting message of the gospel in the face of death. ... This remarkable and confidently assuring work should be much better known than it is. So now: go hear it. Be comforted and amazed.
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| B.E. Murillo, The Two Trinities, 1675-1682. (Image: Web Gallery of Art) |
The Christ Child is raised on a dressed stone, both a compositional device to set him at the apex of a triangle in the centre of the painting and symbolic: 'thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion...a precious corner stone, a sure foundation' (Isaiah 28:16). As the clouds part to reveal the divine light, their shadows temper the bold red and ultramarine blue, the apricots, pinks, gold and white of the highlights to a wonderful overall harmony, a haze of grey, sky-blue and saffron.
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| John S. Copley, Ascension, 1775 (Image: Wikipedia). |
When Jesus had said this, the apostles saw him lifted up, and a cloud caught him away from their sight. And as they strained their eyes towards heaven, to watch his journey, all at once two men in white garments were standing at their side. Men of Galilee, they said, why do you stand here looking heavenwards? He who has been taken from you into heaven, this same Jesus, will come back in the same fashion, just as you have watched him going into heaven.
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| Leonardo da Vinci, The Last Supper, 1497-1498 (from Web Gallery of Art) |
The real dining room appears to be continued in the perspectivally painted one, but on a higher level: the prior's table is upstaged by that of Christ and the apostles above. Christ and the apostles seem to have taken their place in the monk's dining hall in Milan, as it were. The emphatic gestures of the larger-than-life-size, heroic figures would have contrasted once with the quiet, controlled meal of the monks. A sublime, sacred drama overshadowed the worldly meal and focused the brothers' attention religious meditation. Leonardo depicted a specific moment of the Last Supper: Christ has just announced that he will be betrayed by one of the disciples, and the community of apostles reacts with agitation and questioning.That is a coincidence: my mother's parents had a copy of this in their kitchen, above their kitchen table.
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| Edward Hopper, Sea at Ogunquit, 1914 (from https://whitney.org/collection/works/6077) |
Great art is the outward expression of an inner life in the artist, and this inner life will result in his personal vision of the world. No amount of skillful invention can replace the essential element of imagination. One of the weaknesses of much abstract painting is the attempt to substitute the inventions of the human intellect for a private imaginative conception.
The inner life of a human being is a vast and varied realm and does not concern itself alone with stimulating arrangements of color, form and design.
The term life used in art is something not to be held in contempt, for it implies all of existence and the province of art is to react to it and not to shun it.
Painting will have to deal more fully and less obliquely with life and nature's phenomena before it can again become great.
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| “The Good Shepherd ,” Medieval Art, accessed April 26, 2020, http://projects.leadr.msu.edu/medievalart/items/show/15. |
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.The image here is a fifth-century mosaic in a mausoleum in Ravenna, Italy. Note that the sheep are all looking at Jesus, the shepherd, who is sitting in a pasture but wearing royal robes. The shepherd is also a king.
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| Caravaggio, The Incredulity of Saint Thomas, 1602 (Wikipedia) |
Jesus said to Thomas, "Let me have thy finger; see, here are my hands. Let me have thy hand; put it into my side. Cease thy doubting, and believe." Thomas answered, "Thou art my Lord and my God."According to Edwin Aponte:
Known for his gritty realism, Caravaggio has Jesus grasping the hand of the apostle Thomas and thrusting it deep within the wound at his side, powerfully aligning Jesus' and St. Thomas' hands to form a lance. St. Thomas' face expresses profound surprise as his finger thrusts deep into Jesus' wound. Perhaps, the surprise has to do with his unbelief. It could also be surprise at the realization that he, too, is also pierced. Indeed, St. Thomas appears to clutch his side as if he becomes aware of a wound at his side as well. And we who wince at this gritty depiction feel a wound at our side as well.
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| Jacob Cornelisz van Oostsanen, Christ Appearing to Mary Magdalen as a Gardener (Image: Web Gallery of Art) |
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| The Resurrection, by Piero della Francesco (image: Wikipedia) |
The composition is divided into two separate perspective zones. The lower area, where the artist has placed the sleeping guards, has a very low vanishing point. Alberti, in his theoretical writings, suggests that the vanishing point should be at the same level as the figures' eyes. By placing it on a lower level, Piero foreshortens his figures, thus making them more imposing in their monumental solidity. Above the figures of the sleeping sentries, Piero has placed the watchful Christ, no longer seen from below, but perfectly frontally. The resurrected Christ, portrayed with solid peasant features, is nonetheless a perfect representative of Piero's human ideal: concrete, restrained and hieratic as well. The splendid landscape also belongs to the repertory of popular sacred images: Piero has symbolically depicted it as half still immersed in the barrenness of winter, and half already brought back to life - resurrected - by springtime.
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| Pieta, Michelangelo (image: Web Gallery of Art) |
The theme of the Pietà , “pity” or “piety” in Latin, depicts a moment immediately after the crucifixion, similar to The Lamentation or The Deposition. However, the Pietà is unique in its focus on the Virgin Mary holding her dead son. This image originated in Germany and moved down to France during the Middle Ages, a time when devotion to the Madonna was particularly intense.... Christ’s placement on Mary’s lap emulates the tender image of baby Jesus on his mother’s lap. Triggering a pure and natural moment between mother and son, with an image of suffering and sadness, fills the viewer with sorrow and compassion -- with pity. In turn, that pity becomes piety -- reverently accepting the sacrifice Christ made, and the sorrow of his mother as she holds her son’s corpse.
The perfectly round form, called a tondo, became popular during the 1440s. Made for domestic settings instead of churches, the circular format challenged the artist to create a harmonious, balanced composition within this more difficult shape. The attribution has been a matter of debate. Botticelli often collaborated with students, including Filippino Lippi, who would himself become a significant painter. Few specialists have doubted that Botticelli executed the central passages: the delicate modeling of the faces, the graceful poses, the figures’ profound interiority, and the diaphanous veil are the artist’s hallmarks. However, someone else in Botticelli’s studio probably painted Mary’s blue garment, also the most heavily restored part of the painting.
When the sixth month came, God sent the angel Gabriel to a city of Galilee called Nazareth, where a virgin dwelt, betrothed to a man of David’s lineage; his name was Joseph, and the virgin’s name was Mary. Into her presence the angel came, and said, Hail, thou who art full of grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women. She was much perplexed at hearing him speak so, and cast about in her mind, what she was to make of such a greeting.
Then the angel said to her, Mary, do not be afraid; thou hast found favour in the sight of God. And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call him Jesus. He shall be great, and men will know him for the Son of the most High; the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he shall reign over the house of Jacob eternally; his kingdom shall never have an end.
But Mary said to the angel, How can that be, since I have no knowledge of man?
And the angel answered her, The Holy Spirit will come upon thee, and the power of the most High will overshadow thee. Thus this holy offspring of thine shall be known for the Son of God. See, moreover, how it fares with thy cousin Elizabeth; she is old, yet she too has conceived a son; she who was reproached with barrenness is now in her sixth month, to prove that nothing can be impossible with God.
And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; let it be unto me according to thy word. And with that the angel left her.
This crowd on earth they soon forget
The heroes of the past.
They cheer like mad until you fall,
And that's how long you last.
But God He never does forget,
And, in His Hall of Fame,
By just believing in his Son,
Inscribed you'll find your name.
I recently finished In the Presence of My Enemies by Fr. John W. Clifford, S.J., an American missionary to communist China in the 1950s. Clifford provides a practical guide to maintaining moral integrity under conditions of intense psychological pressure. He counsels a careful strategy of silence. Do not allow yourself to be drawn into defending yourself against accusations that have no basis in justice. When you engage, as at times you must, do so with forceful repudiation of falsehoods. Make it clear to those who wish to suborn you that you will not capitulate. When demoralized and weakened by the constant bombardment of propaganda, turn your mind to past experiences of joy and delight. We are not imprisoned under brutal conditions, as Clifford was. But we live in a society increasingly determined to force us to make public affirmations of the latest progressive dogmas of race, sexual orientation, and gender. Clifford’s advice has useful applications.
