Posted on 08/15/2020 7:41:05 AM PDT by Hebrews 11:6
. .
. .
Back when cameras used film, on a rainy day youd take out your shoebox full of photos, pick out the keepers and mount them in a sturdy photo albumto be treasured later and grabbed in the event of a fire. These days I expect that digital cameras and smartphones have complicated that a bitnow I suppose you have the drugstore make an album for you.Ive created a photo album like that for myself right here. In compiling this series Ive posted nearly 2,000 images, and having done the work Id like to keep my favorites for future review. I went back through all 53 threads to collect them. These 43 images jumped out at me. Its sort of a Greatest Hits compilation, and youre welcome along for the ride.
I know very little about art, other than knowing what I like. Intuitively, I like all of these; but I thought it might be fun to try to articulate my feelings into wordsso I briefly annotated all 43 with my thoughts. If you want to argue with me, thats fine, but I hope youll actually try to educate me instead.
Perhaps you also have a favorite or several youd like to shareits an open thread, so have at it! Let me know if you need help posting an image. Theres really nothing to iteven I can do it!
. .
. .
From #4, ADAM & EVE HIDING FROM GOD
by KERRY MONTOYA
How did God appear to Adam and Eve? At the very least, overwhelming, which Montoya represents. Also: beautiful, multifaceted, nonthreatening .
. .
From #5: GOD BANISHES ADAM & EVE
by JAMES TISSOT
Those are some BIG angels! Their unequivocal message is: SCRAM, AND DONT COME BACK! Tissot portrays banishment vividly. Adam and Eve got the message, although Eve appears incredulous at these unfeeling angels.
. .
From #6: CAIN AND ABEL
by JAMES TISSOT
Cain is older, much stronger, armed and murderously angry. Abel is young, undeveloped, innocent, and all-too-used to being dominated. Its clear he has no inkling of what is coming, nor if he did that he could do anything at all to prevent it. Imminent inevitability is what Tissot shows us.
. .
From #7: GOD'S FLOOD & NOAH'S ARK
by JAMES EDWIN McCONNELL
I have lived 71 years and am fast becoming an old man. By this point Noah had labored faithfully for an inconceivable 120 YEARS building his boat. Such a man would have rolled up plans in his hand, for he planned his work meticulously, and a far-away look in his eye, which he had long-ago developed and earned, and a resolute visagefor nothing but such steadfastness could have carried him to this climactic moment of completion. But it is not a time for celebrating, for Noah knows the grim carnage the onrushing storm forbodes, having preached about it for a century. McConnells magnificent painting fully illustrates why God grouped Noah with Job and Daniel as the three most righteous men (Ezekiel 14:14).
. .
From #13: THE DESTRUCTION OF SODOM & GOMORRAH
by JAMES TISSOT
The Sodomites
Imagine having an entire city of degenerates terrorizing you, threatening abusive assault. What would that look like? Tissot shows us: intimidating, frightening, hopeless. Or is it?
. .
From #14: GOD TESTS ABRAHAM
So, youre Isaac and your dad just scared the living daylights out of you, and now hes holding you and a ram lies where you were moments ago. So, youre Abraham and you trusted God and He actually came through for you and youre deeply, profoundly grateful and relieved and stunned.
. .
From #15: ABRAHAM FINDS ISAAC A WIFE!
by BENJAMIN WEST
Isaac's Servant Tying the Bracelet on Rebeccas Arm
Dont know whether to laugh or cry. The composition, color, and execution are magnificent. But .First, did your camels mother mate with a lion? Never mind. Supposedly, beautiful, virginal Rebeccashe appears to be bothjust finished watering Isaacs servants camels. In a billowing silk dress with preposterously puffy sleeves, having come straight from the hair salon. Cmon, Benjamin! You got everything right exceptwelleverything.
. .
From #16: JACOB & ESAU, Part 1
Jacobs Ladder AngelsBath Abbey, West Face, Somerset, England
The very idea of putting Jacobs Ladder up the side of a church, with angels ascending and descending, is so hilarious and inventive and original and iconoclastic to me that all I can do is bow and scrape to the architect and bishop. Masterful!
. .
From #16: JACOB & ESAU, Part 1
by GUSTAV DORÉ
Jacob's Dream
The light! The light! No wonder Jacob saw this dream. And the divine light at the top of the ladderoh, to be an angel. Yet someday we will judge them. Dorés works as we have them are dark, but this is the brilliant, shining exception.
. .
From #16: JACOB & ESAU, Part 1
by JIM CAMPBELL and BENJAMIN BERGERY
Jacobs Dream Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, California
Nothing says ladder like this incredible edifice within a stained glass cathedral. The contrast between its clean, stark simplicity and its surroundings highlights what is already a bright beacon. No one visiting can be unaffected by it.
. .
From #18: JACOB & ESAU, Part 3
by JOSEPH-FLORENTINE BONNAT
Jacob Wrestling with the Angel
Bonnats angel dwarfs Jacob and easily holds him off without injuring him. But we see plainly Jacobs struggle, which is the whole point; indeed, now he's lifted that enormous angel completely off the ground. Israel wont surrenderand that remains the Jews sad stumbling block right down to this very day.
. .
From #19: JOSEPH, Part 1 DREAMS, AND REALITY
by SUZANNE TORNQUIST
Joseph And His Coat Of Many Colors
I like bright colors! An artist painting a coat of many colors should go all-out, and Suzanne did. A treat for my eye.
. .
From #21: JOSEPH, Part 3 JOSEPH AIDS PHARAOH
by GUSTAV DORÉ
Joseph Interpreting the Pharaoh's Dream
An overwhelmingly immense and intimidating throne room, filled with Pharaoh and his men. But the room and the ruminators and the ruler are all still as death. The only dynamic is little Joseph, fresh from prison, absolutely dominating that scene because only he has the answer they need. Doré knows, Knowledge is Power.
. .
From #21: JOSEPH, Part 3 JOSEPH AIDS PHARAOH
by JAMES TISSOT
Joseph Interprets Pharaohs Dream
Unlike Doré, Tissot contrasts Joseph not with the setting but against Pharaohs sycophantic priests. Universally head-shaven, fat, emasculated and worthless, they can only sit mutely disinterested while prison-skinny Joseph conveys Gods answer. The contrast is starkly effective.
. .
From #22: JOSEPH AIDS HIS BROTHERS
by ADOLPHE ROGERS
Jacob Refusing To Let Benjamin Go to Egypt
The older brothers plead their case in the background, but Rogers leaves us no choice but to consider Jacobs sore spot: his beloved Joseph is gone, and hell be damned if hell let them have his little brother, too. It is just so wonderful to know the whole story behind a work like this.
. .
From #23: GOD PREPARES MOSES
by HE QI
Baby Moses silk tapestry
So Moses was Orientalwho knew? Qi unabashedly claims Moses for his own, and I expect Jesus right along with him. Some black people claim Jesus was black, too. And they should: Jesus came precisely to become us. Immanuel!
. .
From #23: GOD PREPARES MOSES
Brilliant color and composition set this apart. That bush is burning! This is one of those windows with no painting; every shape is separately cut (I expect windowmakers have a term for that). God is visible in the bushalthough the text doesnt insist on it.
. .
From #23: GOD PREPARES MOSES
Moses and the Burning Bush
No one can actually paint what God looked like to Moses, but this artist certainly tried: multifaceted and complex and ordered and bright and beautiful. Moses and God are naked and open before one anothermakes me even more eager for heaven.
. .
From #24: LET MY PEOPLE GO!
EEEEEEEEK!!!! Just for laughs, of courseyet it illustrates very well the personal terror those plagues caused. They were truly no laughing matter.
. .
From #24: LET MY PEOPLE GO!
That is one angry Pharaoh! Teeth bared, red-facedI wouldnt want to be in range of him. Look at those locusts. And they come after seven other plagues. Whats next?
. .
From #25: PASSOVER!
Little boys always stand around and gawkits what they do. But this fellows unique actions have attracted a group of kibitzers, wondering about the meaning of his extraordinary doings. Putting BLOOD on your door?! Nonbelievers fundamentally just do not and cannot understand Christ, Christianity and Christians; first, they must be born again.
. .
From #25: PASSOVER!
by JAMES TISSOT
"The Jews' Passover"
Tissot often exercised his exceptional imagination and produced scores of wonderful works excelling every other artists rendition of the same story. But Tissot also could read! Unlike many of these artists, he paid careful attention to the Scripture he was illustrating. This is a perfect example, requiring little imagination, but James aptly included everything in the text.
. .
From #26: THE PEOPLE GO, EXODUS!
The Pillar of Cloud ..... The Pillar of Fire
North Wilkesboro Presbyterian Church, North Carolina
These windows are a significant fraction of the height of the real cloud and pillar they portray. O, to sit in front of these spectacular images and meditate on what they represent: Gods wise guidance and reassuring protection.
. .
From #29: PARTING THE RED SEA
by RICHARD MCBEE
"Exodus"
There were TWO MILLION Israelis and friends crossing the Red Sea, and McBee showed that. But he added something that no other artist did: organization. He shows the Israelites marching in clearly-defined groups, because thats exactly how they did everything: in their twelve tribes.
. .
From #33: Mt. Sinai GOD SHOWS OFF
Every eye, without exception, is riveted upon Gods pyrotechnic display and therefore, by extension, upon God Himself. That includes our eyesthis artist places us amidst the vast crowd. What will God do next?
. .
by VIDA KHADEM From #39: THE GOLDEN CALF, Part 1
The Golden Calf
Do modern people still worship Golden Calves? Absolutely! All have sinned . Khadem refuses to let us wallow in the conceit that we would never do such a thing.
. .
From #40: THE GOLDEN CALF, Part 2
by REMBRANDT VAN RIJN
Moses Smashing the Tablets of the Law
Many artists portrayed Moses smashing the tablets, but none succeeded quite so well as Rembrandt. He has Moses absolutely dominating the frame, so that this single act is all that is in contemplation. But it is Moses despairing look that rivets: it conjures by itself the sorry culmination of forty days above. The light features his face and arms: Moses despairs, Moses smashes.
. .
From #41: GOD SHOWS MOSES HIS GLORY
by PHILLIP PRESCOTT PARHAM
Moses in the Cleft of the Rock
You REALLY want to see My glory? Heres a tiny, tiny glimpse, all you can handle. Parham beautifully suggests Gods overwhelming magnificence.
. .
From #41: GOD SHOWS MOSES HIS GLORY
by TED LARSON
Show Me Your Glory
When Moses interview with God was complete, he glowed, per the textand Larson accurately records that. So, when I have an encounter with God, do I hide like Adam and Eve, or do I glow like Moses?
. .
From #41: GOD SHOWS MOSES HIS GLORY
by GRAHAM COOPER
Someone suggested to me that this painting belongs in a comic book. Perhaps, but I see Coopers powerful evocation of Gods protection of Moses and, of course, of me.
. .
From #42: MISCELLANY
If I didnt have my wife and granddaughter on my computer's desktop, this would be. Balanced, vibrant, lively, with Jesus resting and caring for His lamb: I could not possibly ask for more.
. .
From #42: MISCELLANY
by EMILE LEVY
Abraham Washing the Feet of the Three Angels
See, Emile, Abraham said, Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet . Gen.18:4 No wonder no other artists painted the scene you did! But hey, perhaps youre correct after all: Abraham was certainly acting obsequiously, and he may have changed his mind after all. Its such a lovely thought, washing Jesus feet.
. .
From #42: MISCELLANY
by LUTHER TERRY
Jacob's Dream
Do all angels have wings? Someone had better tell the middle one! Lovely scene: pretty colors, well composed, with action: Shhhhhh! One angel apparently is supervising, and the androgynous recent arrivals down the ladder need instructing: God wants this dream dreamt, so Shhhhh. Well done, Mr. Terry.
. .
From #42: MISCELLANY
Infant Moses on the Nile
Appears to be a night scene, but Moses mother NEVER would have set him afloat anywhere near dark. Nicely done moonlit waves, but lots o artists can do that. What makes this painting are its angels. God surely did send them to watch over Moses on his journey, just as He surely watches us protectively at every single moment.
. .
From #42: MISCELLANY
by LAWRENCE ALMA-TADEMA
The Finding of Moses
Lawrence got every single element right. The princess would have been honored by being carried and fanned. Her carriers would have been head-shaven, bare-chested and, Tintoretto notwithstanding, Egyptian-looking. Her maids would have been attentive and helpful. Now Im led to feel Im viewing the actual scene.
. .
From #42: MISCELLANY
by WILLIAM WEST
The Israelites passing through the Wilderness,
preceded by the Pillar of Light
The cliffs are a thousand feet tall. Gods pillar is taller still. Gods people appear sooooo tiny. But West makes the point emphatically that no matter how small we feel and how huge our problems seem, Gods got this.
. .
From #43: THE ARK OF THE COVENANT
Jesus blood fulfills the Law. Period.
. .
From #46: NADAB & ABIHU, TOASTED
How easy and fun it is to focus on Process and ignore Essence.
. .
From #48: Want PLAGUE with Your QUAIL?
Manna fell everywhere, and most artists dont show that. Of course they created a footpath through it. Most importantly, this artist shows the vastness of the camp, nearly to the horizon. This is what it looked like!
. .
From #50: KORAHS SINKING FEELING
by SANDRO BOTTICELLI
The Punishment of Korah and the Stoning of Moses and Aaron
Mary-Lou absolutely nailed it. Without her explanation it doesnt get included here, but with it I cannot omit it.
. .
From #53: JESUS EXPLAINS THE BRONZE SNAKE
by Henry Ossawa Tanner
Christ And Nicodemus On A Rooftop
Night, blue, simple; a hushed talk befitting the setting. But there was nothing quiet about what Jesus said: it still reverberates.
. .
From #53: JESUS EXPLAINS THE BRONZE SNAKE
by ALADAR KACZIANY
Jesus and Nicodemus
Jesus is relaxed and unthreatened as Nicodemus agonizes. Jesus also emulates the cross, which was central to his revelation to Nico.
. .
From #53: JESUS EXPLAINS THE BRONZE SNAKE
by LOUIS COMFORT TIFFANY
Nicodemus Came to Him by Night
Tiffany beautifully shows Nicodemus carrying a lamp to inquire of the Light of the World, who reaches down to connect with him.
. .
. .
SNEAK PEEK: Next time, A ONE-WEEK HIATUS
I'm sensing viewer-fatigue,
so a short break is in order. .
. .
R E S O U R C E S
. .
Three masters who painted Biblical scenes prolifically:
REMBRANDT HARMENSZOON van RIJN
GUSTAV DORÉ
241 wood engravings for
La Grande Bible de Tours
JAMES TISSOT
180 paintings depicting Bible scenes
. .
This series keeps moving from one Bible passage to another,
so here is a fascinating and enjoyable link to assist in following along:
BIBLE TIMELINE
. .
Finally, here are links to the PREVIOUS 53 POSTS IN THIS SERIES with descriptive titles, to assist you in finding those which interest you
. .
. .
SPECIAL THANKS
to FReeper left that other site,
who allowed God to make her His conduit
for incomparable enthusiasm, encouragement,
education, advice and technical assistance!
. .
. .
NOTES ON MY SUBJECTIVE SELECTION CRITERIA
Quality
The Bible is my focus, not the art. So, works need not be masterpieces to qualify for inclusion herethey dont need to be housed at the Louvre nor auctioned by Sothebys. They only need to successfully illustrate some aspect of the Biblical text or, frankly, just tickle my fancy, which I'm asking the Holy Spirit to guide. So, with such forgiving filters, it means that you're seeing practically everything I'm finding.Pacing
The pace may seem glacial to those eager to see their favorite events. My commission is to search for art on each Bible passage in sequence; if I find enough, then it becomes the next installment, even if undramatic. The Bible is a thick book, as you know; but we'll get there eventually, Lord willing. Always remember:
love, joy, peace, patience kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control is a fruit of the Spirit!
Im just having funand I certainly hope you are, too!
Thank you for your understanding.. .
The Bible encourages us to meditate on it (Ps. 1:1-3, 119:11-16, etc.); these artists have done so, and their works can assist us and enrich our own thoughts about biblical characters, incidents and concepts, and increase our faith in He who is behind it all. As you encounter and consider these images and the related Scriptures and the Spirit enlightens your understanding, please share it with us!
But it is not only oil-on-canvas that can so help us; I refer to the astonishing video series The Chosen, which strolls through the four Gospels at the most leisurely pace. The eight episodes of Season 1 are finished, and the second of a planned seven seasons is coming soon. I say "leisurely" because after an entire years viewing Jesus still has only seven of the apostles (although He's preparing to call up Thomas from the minor leagues--but Thomas is skeptical, of course). Anticipating a canvas of fifty-plus hours instead of a movie's paltry two hours, The Chosen turns the characters (especially including Jesus!) into three-dimensional humans and brings the Gospels alive--you have never seen anything even remotely like it! Here is the Official Trailer.
Here is a link for free viewing of The Chosen: Works with your phone, tablet, and you can cast to your Roku or Chromecast. Last fall I paid $34.98 for DVDs and ongoing internet accessbest 35 bucks Ive ever spent (I dont recall how much our marriage license cost, but then it was 42 years ago).
I agree with your choices. Aren’t these splendid!
Some of my faves too! :-)
It was a load of fun selecting and then annotating them. In creating each installment of this series I exercise very little editorial control, posting the most indifferent art right alongside the masterpieces, as long as they tell the story. But some works and some artists deserve special honor, and as long as I’m the one posting I must use my own judgment. So glad you enjoyed them, too.
Add some more if you like, as you’ve done before.
Most prominent to me is the clear statement that, no matter how worldly-powerful you are, you are nothing when God comes against you. We see Egypt's massive splendor assailed by tiny Moses, and we know which was the victor.
Second, and requiring careful inspection, surely Martin has featured a cross in the dead-center distance, as well it was then.
Sold for £15 in 1960! How many million today?
Well, yes, I agree, but mostly because I used to go upstairs to the gallery and gaze upon the original painting 3 days a week after Art Class. I remembered it from the first time I went to the Museum when I was about 8 years old. It seemed to jump off the wall at me!
The whole Museum is awesome, but when I was a little kid all I remembered were the mummies and THAT painting.
Who would have thought that 60 years later I would be posting it on FR! :-)
And the mummies remember you!
They do? I thought they were too wrapped up in other business to remember little ol’ ME!
Off to the punitentiary with you--a second offense, I believe. You may be incorrigible.
“You may be incorrigible.”
I have been told that is the case. :-)
A third offense, madam. We are not complete fools.
I’m incorrigible.
Yours is the last word on it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.