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I first saw this painting in the
Art & Theology 2022 Christmas Series
published by Victoria Emily Jones
.
Since I have
learned so much by
subscribing to her blog,
I want to provide a link
before we even get
to the painting
:
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OK,
back to
the subject
…
This is
O Magnum Mysterium
by
Joel Sheesley
:
Joel Sheesley (2012) O Magnum Mysterium (O Great Mystery)
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At first
I was struck by
the barren setting,
as if the baby had
just landed
on earth
.
I didn’t even notice
the sheep and donkey
in the corners, or the
expression on the
baby’s face
.
It was the feeling
of the whole image
hitting me at once
.
I have to say,
I’ve been looking at art
and writing about art for a
long time, but seldom have
I felt an impact like that
at first glance
.
Thank You,
Joel
!!!
…
and
Thank You,
Victoria Emily Jones
!!!
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Here are a
few words from
the artist
:
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Oh Great Mystery
and wonderful sacrament
that animals should see
the new-born Lord
lying in a manger
!
Blessed is the virgin
whose womb was
worthy to bear
Christ the Lord
.
Alleluia
!
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I should probably
leave it right there, but
I had to find out what else
Joel Sheesley has done
.
So I went looking
…
&
found
nothing similar
.
If there are
other biblical artworks
by Joel Sheesley, please
leave a Comment below
.
In the meantime,
I’m grateful to
have seen
this one
!!!
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The icon for
this article is a detail
from John Sheesley’s
O Magnum Mysterium
(O Great Mystery)
Oil on canvas,
72 × 44 in
2012
:
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