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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 and this
is one of them
.
I was a little 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 this painting
.
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, with
the exception of
the link at the
Religious
Studies
Dept.
for SCTR
Class Prep
10A Murphy,
SCU!
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,
the gallery
is online
!!!
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Let’s
look at
the painting
The artist
has helped us
understand his
intentions by
naming this
painting
“Light”
This gives us a
powerful pointer
to what he was
thinking about
.
In the
book where
I found this image,
the author ties it to
a bible passage,
John 3:19-20
This is
JOHN 3:19-20
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.
I don’t understand
why the author didn’t
include the third verse,
which completes
the thought
:
But whoever
JOHN 3:21
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 his painting
and these verses
.
If I ever find a
statement by
him, I will
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
.
Mr.
Reinhardt
has given us
this powerful
image, and I
hope more
people
see
it
:
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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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Siegfried Reinhardt (1959) Light
reprinted in Jaroslav Pelikan,
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 by Joseph Szaszfai
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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!