WORLDS ARE FORMING

Rouault's Christ Mocked by Soldiers.

I first saw an image of this painting at a small bookstore that smelled of glorious old books in Tillamook, Oregon.

It was in a pile of prints ripped from old books, and each print was sold for $1.  I had no clue who the artist was, but I was drawn to the image and could not take my eyes off of it.  After some research, I learned it was a piece called Christ Mocked by Soldiers, by Georges Rouault.  I have since been to a few museums and have stood in front of Rouault's work, always in awe of  his ability to express complex things through a simple medium. 

I am in an aesthetics philosophy class with Dr. Gordon Graham this semester, and to be honest, I don't quite speak the aesthetic language.  What I can say is that I experience this painting as beautiful, as powerful, and as a reminder of the Jesus I know.  This print is framed and resides upon the wall above the head of my bed.  I see it every day, and I am struck by something new each time. 

So it is with Jesus: I see and experience him each day, and am struck by something beautiful and new in each encounter.  What work of art moves you?

Memory.

"How they do live on, those giants of our childhood, and how well they manage to take even death in their stride because although death can put an end to them right enough, it can never put an end to our relationship with them.  Wherever  or however else they may have come to life since, it is boeynd a doubt that they still live in us. 

Memory is more than a looking back to a time that is no longer; it is a looking out into another kind of time altogether where everything that ever was continues not just to be, but to grow and change with the life that is in it still.  The people we loved.  The people who loved us.  The poeple who, for good or ill, taught us things. 

Dead and gone though they may be, as we come to understand them in new ways, it is as though they come to understand us -- and thorugh them we come to understand ourselves -- in new ways too."  Buechner, The Sacred Journey, 21-22

Fine Art.

Two of my favorite artists recently sent me pieces to be added to my collection.  I've been trying to procure art over the past few years, and I appreciate when I recieve donations.

These most recent pieces are fresh, very nouveau-organic, and add life and vibrancy to my wall.   The three pieces have great movement, and are very dynamic.  In a recent interview, regarding the pieces, one of the artist is quoted as saying "...we shared...," referring to the sharing of resources, ideas, and time in this collaborative effort.  The artists were pleased to know that the pieces had been reviewed and accepted for placement in my collection.  These artists hold great promise...

He Qi :: Art at Princeton Seminary.

When new art arrives at the Seminary, my friend Josh and I attend the reception for the artist.  We try to meet and support the artist, and try to remember that there is more to life and faith than sticking our noses in books and trying to wax eloquent in precepts.

Yesterday we went to the He Qi exhibit at Erdman.  Qi is a Chinese Christian folk artist, known internationally for his craft, and his use of vivid colors and strong lines.  His work reminds me of Georges Rouault, one of my favorite artists. 

Two of my favorite pieces at the show were The Finding of Moses and The Risen Lord.  In The Finding of Moses, I appreciate the faces of the four women, whose lack of features leaves room for interpretation and wonder.  The Risen Lord's colors are brilliant!

Check his website for more of his work, and to learn about his journey.  He seems to be a very humble man, passionate about faith and art.

If you are in Princeton, his work will be here for only a short time, so take a few minutes to stop and enjoy it!

Art Re-members.

"In art, either as creators or participators, we are helped to remember some of the glorious things we have forgotten, and some of the terrible things we are asked to endure, we who are children of God by adoption and grace."                                                                                                          L'Engle, Walking on Water, 11.

Prayer Poured Out.

Last year, while on a Reading Week retreat with friends at Holy Cross Monastery, we spent time in silence, painting. 

All we had were some simple watercolors and pieces of computer paper.  So, nothing too fancy.  I am not really a painter, and never know what I am doing when I try.   So, by accident, this is what I came up with...

It is currently on a wall in my room, behind my closet door, wrinkled, unframed, tacked up with tape. 

Whenever I actually stop to look at it, I am reminded to pray ... and see an image of prayers being poured out before the Father.  I am grateful for this accident which reminds me to live freely before God, to pour out and to be poured out.

"There are no little prayers." 
            :: William MacNamara

CARAVAGGIO: The Denial of St. Peter (1610).

This was the only piece at the Met that made me really stop, stare, and wait.  You must see it in person to capture the beauty and humanity in each eye, and the sheer despair upon Peter's face.  Yes, Peter is our brother...

"You are not one of his disciples, are you?" the girl at the door asked Peter. 
He replied, "I am not."  (John 18.17)

Jesus said, "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church..."  (Matthew 16.18)

We Have Been Believers.

What, if anything, does this piece stir within you?

                                                                                                                                                            (Charles White, 1949)

Rest in Prayer.

                                The sun hears the fields talking about effort
                                                        and the sun
                                                            smiles,

                                                    and whispers to
                                                                me,

                                    "Why don't the fields just rest, for
                                                    I am willing to do
                                                        everything

                                                        to help them
                                                            grow?"

                                                 Rest, my dears, in
                                                           prayer.
                                                               
                                            :: St. Catherine of Siena

Blog vulnerability: Entries from my Spring Art Journal

This spring, I had to create a journal for my Theology of Worship and the Arts class with Dr. Karlfried Froelich at PTS.  I took the assignment seriously, and journaled thoroughout the semester.  Here are a just a few of many entries from this past spring.  I am a novus, but this was a meaningful way to express myself and my faith throughout the spring...

At this point, I will not share the meaning behind them, perhaps someday I will.  For now, I would love to hear your reactions.  Please comment on your interpretations, your thoughts, your questions, below.  (Click on a thumbnail to see it in full.)

 

(Sorry they are a bit disheveled...I am still learning.  Anyone know how to be arrange those thumbnails?)