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Art and Religion

Abraham in Art

Building A Nation on Faith and Love

Recent Old Testament lessons in the Revised Common Lectionary have been featuring the story of Abraham and his family. In the Judeo-Christian tradition this features Sarah and their son, Isaac.

Abraham’s life is foundational in the relationship we have with God today. It is also foundational to great friction which has much of the world dancing on eggshells today.

God kept his promise to build a great people from the seed of an old man and woman. With all those children there is bound to be some sibling rivalry.

There are several great Abraham and Sarah stories. There are

  • the visit from three angels who announce God’s intention to provide an heir
  • Sarah’s willingness to encourage other unions to produce an heir
  • the birth of Isaac
  • the sacrifice and salvation of Isaac

All of these are subplots to God’s demand that Abraham uproot his little empire and travel to a new land. He will not be the father of a great nation in Ur.

Today’s artistic choices are by contemporary artists. Each focuses on the elderly Abraham holding newborn Isaac in his arm. This new nation will be built upon love.

Here is a drawing, Father Abraham, created in recent years by Ria Spencer. Her company, WillowRise, features spiritual arts. Her favorite medium is colored pencil. Visit WillowRise.

father-abraham

Here is another contemporary work by Tom White. It is a bronze sculpture of the same subject. The joy of sculpture is dimension. Every angle tells a slightly different story. Visit Tom White Studios.

abraham

 

To remind us that this story is part of an epic, we’ll include this painting from 1880 by Jozsef-Molnar. There’s a lot going on here. Sometimes we forget that because we can read the story of Abraham in one sitting that it all took place quickly.

The move from Ur to start a new nation was an act of faith, love and courage for all of Abraham’s household. It was likely to have been a logistical nightmare with only the incredible and unlikely promises of God as a reward.

We live today in the shadow of this great movement. You see, there was this other son of Abraham.

Abrahams-Journey-Jozsef-Molnar-1880

 

06 Aug 2013

Art: The Rich Fool from Luke 12

The Rich Fool is not a favorite topic of serious artists. Many of the depictions are illustrative or blatant cartoons (not that we have anything against cartoons).

Here are two from classical art.

rembrandt_rijkedwaas_grt

Rembrandt painted the rich fool surrounded by books. Books in Rembrandt’s day symbolized vanity. They were a sign of wealth as well. The rich fool is happily surrounded by his treasures, totally unaware of the darkness surrounding him. His candle is about to be snuffed out!

Here is an etching by Hans Holbein the Younger who lived in the 16th century and was active during the years of Reformation.

Holbein-The Rich Fool

Death surprises the rich man and sweeps away the riches along with the man’s life.

Our featured artist today is Jim Jannegt. We’ve featured his work before including just a few weeks ago with his Parable of the Good Samaritan. Jannegt is a contemporary artist, working on a series of paintings depicting the parables.

His painting shown below, which looks so very modern, is based on a medieval art style and careful interpretation of the scripture.

Go to this website and enjoy five short videos of Jannegt describing how he created this painting.

Share the link with your congregations (on your web site before Sunday, if you can). His videos will help your congregation understand this Sunday’s lessons.

Here it is again:

http://www.rejesus.co.uk/site/module/jim_janknegts_rich_fool/

jannegt-richfool

30 Jul 2013

Adult Object Lesson: Luke 12-The Rich Fool

arthurhughesJesus Helps Us Define True Treasures

self-storage-unitsToday’s story starts with a brother asking for his share of the inheritance.

Today’s object is a box filled with modern “stuff” and a photo of a storage shed. If you can project images use a photo (or several) like this one. Just google storage unit/images to find tons of them.

This is a parable about modern America. It is a parable about values and relationships—priorities.

Some ideas for what to put in the box: A collection of remote controls, a collection of knickknacks, t-shirts, cans from the garage, old sports equipment or toys, old trophies—the types of things we hang on to for reasons we can’t explain.

Use a collection of different things or a collection of same things. We all have multiple remote controls for equipment that died long ago. A collection of one teenager’s T-shirts can fill a dresser drawer.

As you talk about this parable, take the items out of the box. Just holding the things up may cause your congregation to smile.

The modern storage unit will resonate with your congregation. People have so much “stuff” they rent a shed to store it. Often they pay the rent for a few months and then walk away. They forget about the stuff when they have to pay to own it. After a few months, all that stuff isn’t worth the trouble to retrieve it.

On our own, we don’t think of giving it away. In the end, stuff is worthless.

We know that Jesus is asking  us to think about our values.

Today even intangible things have value. We can fight over ideas in court for years! Who thought of Facebook first? Who first used the word “muggle” as in the Harry Potter stories? Once success is obvious, we all want a piece of it. We want to transform ideas to gold.

How many of us would fight for what we believe in court?

True success is in building relationships and remembering priorities. Relationships give us something to hang on to. That’s why we make the effort to get home for Thanksgiving—to remember to phone on birthdays or holidays—to show up for worship on Sunday morning—to pray daily.

We don’t need a storage shed or a bigger house. We just need to value the blessings God gave us and show our appreciation.

Heaven is where the heart is.

The painting above by British artist, Arthur Hughes and was painted in 1881. It is called “Saying Grace, The Skipper and His Crew.”

29 Jul 2013

Jesus Prays in Art

jesus_gethsemane-hofmannThe subject of Jesus praying is not one of the more popular themes in art history. We’ll present just three. Two of them are among the most familiar images in Christendom.

Heinrich Hofmann, a German artist who lived in the 1800s, painted the definitive portrait of Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane as shown above. This painting has been copied or reproduced more than any other single religious work of art. Most artists who followed Hofmann in history reference the work and depict Jesus in similar posture and positioning. They use slightly different colors but the root of their work is Hofmann’s portrait.

The original painting is in Riverside Church in New York City, along with a few other works by Hofmann, which include the well-known portrait of boy Jesus in the Temple.

Jesus-praying-in-Gethsemane-by-William-HoleSepia-600-px1-600x553Here’s another drawing of Jesus in Gethsemane by a contemporary of  Hofmann’s. The artist was William Brassey Hole. He lived in Scotland from 1846-1917. In this painting, Jesus is a small detail amidst an imposing garden. Is that how you sometimes feel when you talk to God? Does it make you feel part of something larger? Or does it make you feel less significant?

Albrecht-Durer-Hands-Praying-GC-731x1024

Last, we present the work of Albrecht Durer, a 16th century contemporary of Martin Luther. This work was also copied by other aspiring artists who idolized Durer’s draftsmanship. You can almost see the blood pulsing through the veins!

Just for fun let’s compare the hands of Christ in two of these paintings. Below is a detail of the most famous painting of Jesus praying.

Jesus' Hands

 

24 Jul 2013

Art: The Good Samaritan

The story of the Good Samaritan has two scenes. Scene One takes place on the dangerous Jericho Pike. Most artists depicting the Good Samaritan parable focus on this scene. The Samaritan is kneeling over the victim or hoisting him onto a beast of burden. You can usually find the priest and the Levite in the distance with their backs turned toward the action.

Here are a few such renditions.

The first is by Van Gogh painted in 1890. The priest is in the distance, the Levite a bit closer. The Samaritan is actively helping the victim. Van Gogh is copying the work of Delacroix from 41 years earlier. Delacroix painted this topic more than once.

the-good-samaritan-after-delacroix-1890

Here are two works by Delacroix showing two moments in the scene. He painted the one Van Gogh was copying first (1850). The other was painted in 1852.

delacroix_samaritaan1852_grtimages-2Below are some more modern depictions of the same scene.

The colorful work by Paula Modersohn-Becker was painted in 1907—not long after Van Gogh’s.

the-good-samaritan-1907

Here is a surprisingly youthful depiction by 82-year-old English artist Dinah Roe Kendall. Looks very British! The priest and the Levite have their umbrellas to protect them from coming unpleasantness. Notice how different the Samaritan is from the other English actors in this scene.

how_the_samaritan1

At last we turn to Scene Two in the Good Samaritan. This scene takes place at the innkeeper’s door. Here is Rembrandt’s work from 1630 and a second, The Moon and the Good Samaritan, by contemporary artist Daniel Bonnell.

Rembrandt-The_Good_SamaritanTheMoonandtheGoodSamaritan

The final rendition is by Texas painter, James B. Janknegt. It is entitled Portrait of You as the Good Samaritan. Do you see yourself anywhere? (If not, why not?)

samaritan

09 Jul 2013

This Week’s Gospel in Art-The Feast with Simon

christ_s-1Luke 7:36-8:3

The Feast at the Home of Simon, the Pharisee

Here are three images of this week’s gospel story from Luke—the story of dinner with Simon, the Pharisee.

The 18th century French artist, Pierre Subleyras, gives us a great deal to look at and ponder (1737). It is fun to see the depiction of a rich feast with all the hubbub of a modern meet and greet. There are servants, musicians, children, and even a dog nibbling at the scraps.  Note the poignant side-show on the left.

39religiPeter Paul Rubens, a century earlier, has the action front and center. Both artists have Jesus and company seated at western table. It is likely the real feast table was closer to the ground.

Since the biblical account is not very clear about just how many people attended this dinner party, here is a simpler depiction (below). My goodness, is that a Catholic friar in attendance? Could it be Martin Luther! And they were worried about the sinful woman intruding! Next time, hire a bouncer!

It’s by Dieric Bouts, from the 1440s. (It’s not Martin Luther in the painting! He came along a few years later!)

1simon

12 Jun 2013

The Widow of Nain in Art

Two artists’ views of an often overlooked Bible story

The story of the Widow of Nain in Luke’s gospel is interesting. The focus could be the miracle. Jesus restored a dead young man to life as he was being carried to his grave. That is pretty amazing. Worth writing about—no question!

But the focus isn’t on the miracle. It is on the compassion. Why did Jesus intrude on this funeral procession?

It wasn’t for pity for the young life cut short. It was for what that young man’s life meant to those around him—particularly his mother.

We don’t know how the young man died. What is it illness or accident? We know only that he was the only son of a widow. He was the family provider.

Jesus saw a woman in distress and a society that couldn’t cope with supporting her. They had problems of their own. The social system as known to everyone was about to fail. All the widow’s friends, gathered on this day to help her mourn, would soon desert her. Bad things were going to happen if someone didn’t take preemptive action.

Jesus, a stranger, intruded. Thank God!

There are several well-know depictions of this scene. Let’s compare just two.

Mario Minniti tackled the topic in the 1600s. The elements of the story are here. The crowd is bewildered. Jesus and the young man are central.

WidowofNian-Minniti

But look at this modern depiction by artist Corinne Peters. Here’s a link this work on her website where you can view other excellent modern Christian art.

5.-The-Widow-of-Nain-1024x458Here, too, the focus is the reaction of the crowd just as the miracle is occurring. There is still no time to put their experience in perspective. They are frozen in the moment. They are joyful. They are relieved. At the same time they are frightened at the power of Jesus. 

04 Jun 2013

Art: Jesus Visits Mary and Martha

Another Favorite Story for Artists Through the Ages

There are many depictions of the story of Jesus’ visit to the home of Mary and Martha.

Mary:Martha:IconHere are a few, beginning with a straightforward representation of an icon. Icons are for contemplation. Icons present the basic story but leave the interepretation to the viewer.

Seventeenth century Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer’s rendition concentrates on the three key figures—Mary, Martha and Jesus. Jesus is being so patient as he explains his view of the situation to Martha. Focusing on the three main characters is a common approach. The biblical account suggests there were many more people present, including Lazarus and the Disciples.

Mary:Martha:VermeerMost artists tell the story in the setting and garb of their own era.

During the age of the still life, many artists put brush to this topic. Here is one by Italian artist Vincenzo Campi. Martha in the kitchen, surrounded by all the wonderful textures of a still life, is the foreground. Are you looking for Mary and Jesus? Pull out your magniying glass and look in the upper left background—behind the dead poultry. Martha sure has her work cut out for her.

Mary:Martha:VincenzoCampi

Then turn to this modern depiction by Maud Sumner, a 20th century South African artist. Mary is lost in her thoughts. Martha is thinking about the work that needs to be done. Where’s Jesus? That might be him, reflected in the mirror on table. He looks a bit exasperated with both the ladies.

maud sumner-mary-and-martha

Here’s a link to a marvelous sculpture. Annette Everett intertwines the figures of Mary and Martha into what seems like one sweeping persona.

The last image is a touching detail from the story. Jesus’ gesture of love and acceptance comforts the criticized, adoring Mary. Martha is out of the picture.

Mary:Jesus

13 Mar 2013

The Prodigal Son in Art

The Story of the Prodigal Son is visually rich. Artists through the ages have loved it.

Prodigal-barbieri

Artist Giovanni Barbieri focuses on the three key characters in the story. (early 17th century)

Part of the fascination with the story is the multiple points of view. It is easy to focus on the Father and Son and occasionally the second son.

This artist, Giovanni Barbieri, does this beautifully. We have little to notice except the gestures of the three key figures.

But many artists recognize that there are more players in the story. The Prodigal Son is worn down by many bad relationships. Some artists focus on this broader interpretation as seen in two paintings below by James Tissot (c. 1880).

One concentrates on the Return, the other on the Leaving.

Prodigal-Tissot2880.jpg!Blog

In this retelling of the story, there is a mother or sister!

Prodigal-Tissot

James Tissot tells the story with the involvement of the whole community.


prodigal-son-driven-out-1660.jpg!BlogArtists enjoy taking us to the depths of the son’s despair. Look at this painting which shows the son’s rejection by the society he so longed to own.

And then there is the scene with the hogs. What an image of despair!

frostad-prodigal-son-turning-point

There is plenty of emotion to explore whether it is in the selfish leaving, the desperate squandering, or the pathetic, yet joyful return.

Look below at the treatment by Rembrandt. Focus on the story told just in the depiction of the son’s feet.

prodigal-Rembrandt copy

prodigal

It is easy to re-interpret the story through contemporary eyes. Each depiction above shows the culture and times of the artist. This painting by an African artist is no different.

Finally, a simple line drawing can be as moving as a full-color mural.

How would you draw or sculpt the Parable of the Prodigal Son?

prodigal-son=plain

06 Mar 2013

Art for Luke 13:31-35 — Jesus Is Disillusioned

O_Jerusalem-1The Fox and the Hens

Next Sunday’s gospel features a moving image that has never quite caught the imagination of artists. He starts his discourse sniping at Herod, calling him a fox. But he quickly moves on. Jesus compares his feelings for Jerusalem to a hen protecting her brood — but the brood is unwilling.

The headline art simply depicts Jesus contemplating the city which housed God’s earthly temple.

dominus-flevit-henToday, in modern Jerusalem, in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, there is a mosaic with the words of scripture surrounding the image. “But you are unwilling” drips in red at the feet of little chicks.

Artists seem to be much more comfortable with other biblical metaphors. There are numerous images of rushing streams, stars, bread, the lion and the lamb—even the rooster crowing, but this poignant image of a mother hen never grabs us.

Perhaps this is because the metaphor was first delivered by a disillusioned Jesus. Do we feel guilty?

Perhaps it is because it is a feminine image in a religion long-dominated by men

It is less likely to be taken on by today’s artists. There was a day when most homes had a few chickens pecking the ground in the back yard — a living refrigerator. But the sight is uncommon today.

???????????????????????????????Nevertheless, one young contemporary sculptor rose to the challenge, entering a biblical art contest.

Jesus’ imagery grabs at our hearts and our consciences. We are his little chicks — like it or not.

20 Feb 2013