Tuesday – Modern Art and Sculpture
Many of us will know this painting – by Salvador Dali.
Jesus hangs on the cross and the world is below, particularly what looks like the Sea of Galilee and the fishing boats that Jesus and his disciples would have known, but he is cut off from them.
It was painted in 1951 but it was inspired by a sketch from St John of the Cross from the 16th century.
The light makes a shadow of one of the arms helping form a triangle shape that some say speaks of the Trinity.
More obviously and peculiarly, there are no nails holding Jesus to the Cross. Dali said he had a vision about how to depict Jesus, but we might want to suggest that Jesus “chose” the way of the Cross voluntarily, even if he was also forcibly tortured and executed.
Artists can help us explore new ways of seeing things, and open new windows of thought.
My second painting is by a German artist – Beate Heinen.
The painting is entitled ‘Mullwagen’ or ‘Garbage Truck’
It is a humorous, modern and challenging take on the Incarnation.
The Holy Family are in the Rubbish Lorry – have they been put there, or was this the only place they could find. It rather looks as if they are put there along with the Christmas decorations, while above the star shines and a plane heads for some unknown destination, but maybe they have been there all along.
In a disposable and secular world, does this provoke us or do we pass on by?
Help us think afresh, anew and more deeply and so grow in faith