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There’s a reason
why this painting
is the first in
the series
:
On the
“About” page of
this blog, I hinted at
being fairly new to the
subject of biblical art
.
I began looking for
books about Christian Art,
and one of them I found was
“Jesus Through the Centuries”
by Jaroslav Pelikan
.
It’s
not really
an art book, but
the author included
a few images
.
I was surprised,
because most of the
other photos are of
art that is more
familiar
…
Intrigued,
I went to the web
to find out more about
the painting, and was even
more surprised by the
results of my search
:
According to
Google Image Search,
from 10 BILLION images,
I found one lonely little
thumbnail image that
matched
!!!
We know
that this painting
existed in Pelikov’s
private collection
around the time
the book was
published
(1985)
but
until today
it has been hidden
fairly effectively, except
for a link at the Religious
Studies Dept for SCTR
Class Preparation
10A Murphy,
SCU
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Except for that
one obscure reference,
this painting virtually
DOES NOT EXIST
.
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It
made
me wonder,
“How many artistic
works have been lost,
never to be seen again?”
???
That’s what got me
thinking about
an online
space
for
BIBLICAL
ART
…
So, after
stumbling and
fumbling and surfing
the learning curve, this
little digital gallery
is now online
!!!
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So,
Let’s
look at
the painting
Reinhardt has
helped us understand
his intentions by
naming this
painting
“Light”
The
title gives us
insight into what
he was thinking
about
.
In
the book
where I found
this image, the
author ties it to
these bible
verses
:
This
JOHN 3:19-20
is the verdict:
Light has come into
the world, but people
loved darkness instead
of light because their
deeds were evil
.
Everyone
who does evil
hates the light, and
will not come into the
light for fear that
their deeds will
be exposed
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I don’t
understand why
the author didn’t include
this third verse, which seems
to complete the thought
:
But
JOHN 3:21
whoever
lives by the truth
comes into the light,
so that it may be seen
plainly that what they
have done has been
done in the sight
of God
.
I would like to know
if the artist agreed with the
connection made between
these verses and his
painting
.
If
I ever find a
statement by him,
I’ll include it
here
.
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LIGHT
Looking
at the painting
with “light” in mind,
I see that the primary
character, the player
in the foreground,
is facing away
from the
source
.
The light is
shining on the
back of his
head
.
I
see
a very dark
image of Jesus being
crucified at the top of the
painting, and a second image
superimposed over the first
.
We know that this second
character is also Jesus by the
nail hole in one hand and the
crown of thorns in the other,
holding it as if it were
a tambourine
.
I see a third
character behind the
man; a woman who seems
to be in ecstasy, her face
lit brightly from
above
.
She
seems absorbed
by it; arm outstretched,
her hand open to
the light
.
Seeing
her in the Light,
we can imagine that
the woman has already
made a connection
with Jesus,
but
there is
little doubt;
Jesus is focused
directly & intently
on the man
.
A man who
may be oblivious to
the scene behind him, or
may have intentionally
turned away
.
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Mr.
Reinhardt
has given us this
powerful image, and
I hope that more
people see it
:
Siegfried Reinhardt (1959) Light
reprinted in Jaroslav Pelikan’s, Jesus Through
the Centuries: His Place in the History of Culture
New Haven: Yale University Press 1985
plate facing p. 79, text p. 72
Photo: Joseph Szaszfai
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This is the
scripture verse
I would choose
:
Again Jesus
JOHN 8:12
spoke to them,
saying,
I
am
the light
of the world.
Whoever follows
me will not walk
in darkness, but
will have the
light of life.
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1952
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thanks for visiting
come back soon
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Thank you, Jack…this is a brilliant work of Art. I agree with your choice of verse for this, as well. As an Abstract Artist, I find the geometrical shapes in the composition draw my attention to the background, which for me, cradle and embrace the foreground, giving extra “light” to the subjects of importance.
I agree! …and I’m still stunned that I could not find one single complete version of this image on the internet (I own the book that it was printed in, so I scanned it). Thanks for visiting and for your comment.
Lorena – Those linear shapes at left I think are hinting at the empty tomb–doorway, sarcophagus, and even the white circle butting up to the musician could be the stone that was rolled away. I think Reinhardt is contrasting an institutional Christ (the crucifix in the background–cracked wood and broken arms–ineffectual?) and an active/present Christ in the center. I think it’s interesting that Jack commented on the crown of thorns looking like a tambourine–which is certainly in line with the saxophone (such an odd and slightly jarring element in this). But I also see Christ wielding a stick–is it for punishment or comfort (“thy rod and thy staff”) – is it to lead? (conductor’s baton or even a scepter, if we’re still to read the thorns as a crown). I looked at other Reinhardt works online and he seemed to incorporate other brass instruments (tuba, trumpet) into his paintings, so the saxophone isn’t an outlier in terms of his own imagery–wonder what it meant to him? (“vain as sounding brass”? or the spark of the divine in music?) The sax player does seem preoccupied and oblivious to the ecstasy and tumult behind him…
Ron, those comments are wonderfully thought-provoking.
Thank you for adding to my understanding of this painting.
I originally saw that structure on the left as some kind of maze, but now I’m looking closer…
I always appreciate explanations of art since I see nothing except the most basic images. The description you gave about Jesus ignoring the woman and focusing on the man is one of the most important characteristics of a Christian. To some, the woman could feel cheated she has come to Christ and He’s ignoring her. But a real Christian would understand that there will be plenty of time to celebrate when when the harvest is done. In the meantime, the most important thing is to gather all the wheat that is available to be gathered, and the celebration can take place later.
That’s a great point, Joyce. After attending several funerals lately, I began thinking what I would want engraved on my tombstone. Right now my preference would be, “Hope To See You Again!”
Very interesting read. I just stumbled across this thread and found it all very moving. Interestingly this particular Reinhardt painting has been sitting under my bed for the past 5 years or more and I’m really not sure what to do with it. Thinking of donating it to a museum so others can see more of it.
Hi all,
just to update you, I have donated Reinhardt’s Light to the Minneapolis Institute of Art Museum so that once more it can be seen in public. It’s what Jaroslav would have wanted and I hope it makes a showing sometime soon.
Wonderful…!!!
Dustin, I lost some of our correspondence before your update, now I wish I had posted it here.
Anyway, I still love this painting and agree that it should be seen. We travel to Minnesota every few years so I hope to see it in real life some day.
Thanks for your contribution to the world, and also thanks for updating this blog article!
I read the same book a few years ago and took a picture of it because the paint was impressive. I’m happy to face good writing like this.