I can't even imagine Christmas without recalling the story of the Nativity (above, click to enlarge), and the life and death of Christ, which is the great story which for 2000 years has been the heart of Western civilization.
I'm always amazed when fans of art seem to have no time for pictures like the ones on this post. There's always time to stop and admire a devil mask from Pago-Pago, but no time to admire the masterpieces of our own culture.
You would think that the event that would be most remembered in Christ's life would be The Sermon on the Mount which, along with the Ten Commandments, Pericles' Funeral Oration, the Magna Carta, and the Bill of Rights, was one of the foundations of the Western notion of freedom. You would think so, but the events that most inspired artists had to do with themes like birth and death. I guess the heart has its own agenda.
The New Testament only briefly mentions the reaction of Mary to her son's torture and death, but tradition fills in the gap, and most of us have a vivid mental picture of what she must have looked like when she held her son's corpse in her arms.
The New Testament only briefly mentions the reaction of Mary to her son's torture and death, but tradition fills in the gap, and most of us have a vivid mental picture of what she must have looked like when she held her son's corpse in her arms.
But maybe I'm getting morbid. That wasn't my intention. I hope everybody reading this has a Wonderful Christmas and a very, very Happy New Year!
BTW: I included The Sermon on the Mount in the list because the high ideals it contains, together with their widespread acceptance, inspires me to believe that my fellow man can handle freedom. I just assumed that what inspired me inspired others as well.
Funny thing is, Eddie, I almost never think of Christ's crucifixion when I think of Christmas, or the Nativity. It's a little bit jarring to see pictures of Christ's death so close to the day we celebrate His birth.
ReplyDeleteThanks for jogging my memory, Eddie. Merry Christmas!
At the museum where I work there's an exhibition of art spanning the 20th century relating to the Bible, mostly New Testament. Despite being up around Christmas time, there's more Crucifixions than anything else. There's one of the visiting Magi, and one interesting Indian take on the Madonna and Child, but that's it as far as calendar relvance goes...
ReplyDeleteThat Rubens nativity is something else; putting Jesus and Mary off to the side, and a big ol' camel, top and center.
ReplyDeleteThere's probably been some analysis of this somewhere.
I interpret it as taking the religious focus off of Jesus specifically, and transferring it to all creation, no matter how absurd, even a camel.
Pretty daring...
Merry Christmas...
Is that a two-headed camel? whoa, animals were so different in Biblical times. I like Thomas' interpretation of the painting!
ReplyDeleteRubens is definitely one of my favorite artists for his ability to depict bodies and humans in such great texture. That last painting on your post is so amazing!
All these crucifixion paintings are Mel Gibson porn.
ReplyDeletewow! these paintings made me feel like i was back in catholic school..they're part of the reason why i'm a lapsed catholic..the endless guilt..the morbidity..couldnt handle it..i always thought what would it be like for jesus to come back from the dead and see so many people sporting little golden crucifixes around their necks, reminding him of the worst day of his short life, its like we miss the point, its not his death thats important, its the messages of his life,you can live a life free some sin, corruption and temptation,jesus says i did it, so can you!
ReplyDeleteThis newly-received comment refers to something posted much earlier, so i thought I'd reproduce it here as well as in the old article so it won't be missed:
ReplyDelete"As Pete mentioned, Newspaper does go more in depth. This type of technique is often used in marketing for complicated issues, or technical material because the user can read the document, and read it again to fully comprehend the subject matter rather then be passive as a user is in TV or internet advertisements. I think some newspapers are finally catching on with color printer ink when they print the newspaper. Black and white newspaper is very old fashioned compared to today's high-tech ways to receive news and information."
"I always thought what would it be like for Jesus to come back from the dead and see so many people sporting little golden crucifixes around their necks, reminding him of the worst day of his short life."
ReplyDeleteThe late American comedian Bill Hicks (killed himself, couldn't stand the world anymore) famously got pulled from Letterman for including that exact point in his material, to which he added, "If Jackie O invited you to dinner, would you wear a shotgun lapel pin?"
Well I like this kind of art (Renaissance and baroque) because I studied in school, however briefly.
ReplyDeleteme and bill hicks, im truly stunned,had no idea,thanks zoran.
ReplyDelete"Bill Hicks (killed himself, couldn't stand the world anymore)"
ReplyDeleteWoah, not even close, pal.
Bill Hicks died of pancreatic cancer in 1994. Where the HELL did you hear he killed himself?
Seriously, even Wikipedia gets this one right.