Uncategorized – Page 24 – Hear what the Spirit is saying

James the Just, Icon (Artist and Date Unknown)

Commentary by Hovak Najarian

Surnames often are the result of physical characteristics, occupations, places of origin, and family connections. Names such as Johnson or Peterson require no explanation and we are familiar with “Mac” (son of) in Irish names and “von” (meaning from) in German names. Yet, “last names” as we know them today were not widely used until the modern era. In biblical days, American architect Philip Johnson (designer of the Crystal Cathedral), would have been known as Philip the son of John. In times when people were given a single name, an identifying designator often was necessary to differentiate one person from another. Among the disciples was Matthew the tax collector and Simon the Zealot. Two disciples were named James; James the son of Zebedee and James the son of Alphaeus. At times, a person was given several different identifying descriptions.

Although one of the brothers of Jesus also was named James, the exact nature of his kinship has been debated; it has been said he was a step brother, half brother, or cousin. He was not a participant apparently in Jesus’ ministry and it is likely he was not sure of Jesus’ divine nature. Upon seeing Jesus after the resurrection, however, James was convinced. As Bishop of Jerusalem he helped spread the Christian faith and became known as, “James of Jerusalem.” Because he spent so much time in prayer, it was said his knees were hard like those of a camel; thus he was known as “James the Righteous.” He is known more often as, “James the Just” because of the great respect for his wisdom.

Though highly respected in many quarters, James was not appreciated by the high priest of Jerusalem. His martyrdom took place when he was asked by Ananias to denounce Jesus from atop the temple. James went up but instead of cooperating, he began preaching the gospel. For this, he was shoved off and hurt critically but was still alive. As he prayed to ask forgiveness for those who tried to kill him he was stoned and then a man with a fuller’s club hit him on the head and he died. He was buried near the Temple.

Images of Mary, Jesus, and the apostles began appearing very early in church history and it was believed some were of miraculous origin. Icons were used particularly in worship by Orthodox Christians but during the eighth and ninth century a segment of the Church regarded them to be “graven images.” The Church defended the use of icons and pointed to the belief that Jesus himself pressed a cloth to his face and produced an image. In icons of James the Just, he is depicted in his linen bishop’s vestments wearing a long beard (it was reported he never wore wool and never cut his beard) and he is shown holding a book of his writings. Often he is depicted with a fuller’s club, the stick used as he was being killed. Neither the artist nor the date (possibly 12th century) of the image shown above is known. Except for a few notable exceptions, painters of icons worked anonymously.

Note

Icon: The term is from the Greek word eikon meaning likeness or image.
Fuller’s club: This stick is used to beat clothes when they are being washed.

St. Luke as Icon Painter: There is a tradition that Luke painted an icon of Mary as well as images of Peter and Paul. St. Thomas Christians of India lay claim to still having an icon of Mary that was painted by Luke and taken to India by Thomas himself. In illuminated manuscripts, St. Luke sometimes is shown at an easel but there is no evidence to support the tradition that he was an artist.

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B Proper 16, Art for August 26, 2012

ADEMOLLO, Luigi
(b. 1764, Milano, d. 1849, Firenze)
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Transportation of the Ark of the Covenant Containing the Tablets of the Law
1816
Fresco
Room of the Ark, Galleria Palatina (Palazzo Pitti), Florence
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Note: This depicts an earlier transport of the Arc to Jerusalem not today’s reading of bringing the Arc to Solomon’s Temple.

Related art commentary by Hovak Najarian.

Transportation of the Ark of the Covenant Containing the Tablets of the Law, 1816, Fresco, Luigi Ademollo (1764-1849)

Commentary by Hovak Najarian

In the early eighteenth century baroque art gave way to a lighter, more delicate version called rococo (from the French: rocaille – shell-work, pebble-work). Rococo tended to be ornate, frivolous, florid, and was associated with court life in France; it also tended to reflect the gap between the working class and the wealthy elite. Social differences were among factors that led ultimately to the French Revolution at the latter part of the century.

At mid eighteenth century the discovery of the ruins of Pompeii brought renewed interest in the life of ancient Romans and elements of classicism began to reappear in art. While Napoleon Bonaparte was in the military, he admired and identified with Roman courage and after becoming Emperor of France in 1804, he placed artists in key positions to promote and portray traits such as moral strength, honor, and sacrifice for one’s country. Art became serious business; classicism returned and rococo came to an end. During the late eighteenth and first half of the nineteenth century, this latest manifestation of classicism – called “Neoclassicism” – spread throughout Europe and America. The style was not limited to subject matter with moral messages but also included portraiture and other interests.

One of the practitioners of neoclassicism in Italy was Luigi Ademollo. He was born in Milan and received his art training there but while in his mid-twenties, he set out for Rome and then settled in Florence. During, and following the Renaissance, wealthy bankers and commercial traders in Italy built palazzos for themselves and were like princes. Their palaces contained large surface areas and artists, who often were regarded as decorators, received commissions to fill the walls with paintings. Ademollo established a reputation as one of the foremost fresco artists of his time and received commissions for work throughout Italy. In the early nineteenth century he was asked to paint murals for the Palazzo Pitti in Florence. The Transportation of the Ark of the Covenant Containing the Tablets of the Law (detail shown above) was painted for its chapel. Ademollo’s mural in its entirety is an extensive painting that seems to have a “cast of thousands.” Some of the people are onlookers and others are part of a long trail that is following the Ark as it is being transported.

The Ark, which in Hebrew means box or chest, was made from acacia wood and covered with gold; it contained the stone tablets on which were inscribed the Ten Commandments. On top of it was the “mercy seat” made of pure gold and on it were two cherubim facing each other; their wings covered the top of the Ark entirely. [In depictions of the Ark by other artists, the cherubim often are sculpted in the round, not in relief as depicted here.] The Ark was not to be touched and, according to instructions, it was to be accompanied by priests and carried with gold covered poles on the shoulders of Levites. A billowing cloud is filling the scene as burning incense is being carried in a large censor while people following the Ark are caught up in the drama of the procession. To the right (not shown in this detail) are a group of men holding an ox that later will be sacrificed.

Note

In this mural the architecture and manner of dress is in keeping with neoclassicism but during the early nineteenth century there were romanticists who were fascinated with North Africa and the exotic Near East. Romanticists often sought drama and action in their subject matter. [The spirit of Romanticism is exemplified in the motion picture, “Raiders of the Lost Ark”] Although Ademollo is called a neoclassicist, “Transportation of the Ark” has elements of romanticism in its dramatic appeal.

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B Proper 15, Art for August 19, 2012

DUCCIO di Buoninsegna
(b. ca. 1255, Siena, d. 1319, Siena)
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Solomon
1308-11
Tempera on wood, 42,5 x 16 cm
Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, Siena
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Related art commentary by Hovak Najarian.

Solomon, 1308-1311, Egg Tempera, Duccio di Buoninsegna (c. 1255-1319)

Commentary by Hovak Najarian

Duccio’s altarpiece, Maesta (Majesty) painted for the Cathedral of Siena in the early fourteenth century, was composed of a large panel of the Madonna and child surrounded by a host of saints and angels. In its original form, this main panel was part of an assemblage that included many smaller paintings. Above the central painting were eight crowning panels depicting scenes pertaining to Mary’s death. Below the central panel was a row of thirteen small paintings that made up a predella (Italian: kneeling stool); this served as a base or plinth. The Maesta was the first known altarpiece with a predella and this addition became a form used by subsequent artists. On the reverse side of the main panel there were originally forty-three smaller paintings representing events in Christ’s life.

The scenes in Duccio’s predella illustrate The Annunciation and events in Christ’s infancy and youth but they are not in chronological order. Each scene is approximately square in shape and each except the last one is followed immediately by a panel that is the same height but half as wide containing an image of an Old Testament prophet holding a scroll. The prophet’s words on the scroll are interpreted as foretelling the New Testament event that is pictured in the preceding scene. The scenes and accompanying prophets of the Maesta predella, from left to right, are as follows:

Annunciation: The Prophet Isaiah (7:14)
Birth of Christ: The Prophet Ezekiel (44:2)
Adoration of the Magi: The Prophet Solomon (shown above).

In the scene of the “Adoration,” three Magi, along with two horses and four men, have arrived to see the Messiah. Two camel heads can be seen in the background, thus indicating they are from the East, and a star is above the grotto where Mary sits with the infant Jesus in her lap. Two of the Magi, wearing crowns and holding gifts, are standing while the third one with his crown on his arm is kneeling as he kisses the foot of the child, Jesus. [Artists often borrow an image if it fits their need (Picasso said “What I see, I steal”). For the basis of his kneeling Magus, Duccio used the image of the kneeling king in Nicola Pisano’s sculpture of the baptistery pulpit at the Cathedral of Pisa]

The panel to the immediate right of the Adoration of the Magi is the lone figure of Solomon, standing with a scroll on which is written a passage from the Book of Psalms; “The kings of Tarshish and the islands shall bring presents: the kings of the Arabs and of Sheba shall offer gifts” (Psalm 72:10).

Presentation in the Temple: The Prophet Malachi (3:1)
Massacre of the Innocents: The Prophet Jeremiah (31:15)
Flight into Egypt: The Prophet Hosea (11:1)
Christ Disputing with the Scribes (not accompanied by a prophet)

The figures of the prophets are small but, as seen in “Solomon,” they stand solemnly and with dignity. It is believed the statues on the facade of the Cathedral of Siena were used as models for each of the prophets.

During the eight hundred years since the Maesta was painted, both time and human actions have taken a toll. In 1711, it was decided to take apart the altarpiece and divide the sections between the two altars of the cathedral. During this process, severe damage was caused. After it was taken apart, several sections were taken to museums and others were misplaced and are missing. A major restoration was done from 1953-1958 at which time it was discovered that part of the damage to Mary and Jesus was caused by nails being driven into their faces in order to hang rosaries.

[For a brief background of Duccio and the Maesta Altarpiece see Art Commentary for Proper B Easter 3 for April 22, 2012.]

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B Proper 14, Art for August 12, 2012

CHAGALL, Marc
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David mourns Absalom
Artist: CHAGALL, Marc
Date: 1931-39
Technique: Etching
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Related art commentary by Hovak Najarian.

David Mourns Absalom, 1931-1939, Heliogravure, Marc Chagall (1887-1985)

Commentary by Hovak Najarian

Marc Chagall was born into a close-knit Jewish family that moved to Vitebsk, Russia in his youth. His interest in art was encouraged and when he was a young man he left home to live in Paris, the center of the art world at that time. In Paris, he was influenced by Cubism but did not continue in that direction. Instead, his paintings evolved into a personal art that has been called, Fantasy, Expressionism, Surrealism, or even Naïve Art; none of these categories fit entirely. In 1914, when World War I began, Chagall went back to Russia but while there, the Bolshevik Revolution (1917) changed his world again. He returned to Paris after the war. Later, the rise of Nazism in Germany in the 1930s was of great concern and he tried to express his thoughts through paintings; subjects included scenes of the crucifixion. That a devout Jew would paint a crucifixion was unusual but he said, for him, the figure on the cross also symbolized the suffering of the Jewish people. Chagall’s David Mourns Absalom, was made during this time period.

In Chagall’s work there is usually a child-like freedom of expression and rules of proportion or the law of gravity are not inhibiting factors. People may be placed upside down or floating freely through the air, and there is charm in scenes such as a man (possibly his uncle) on a rooftop playing the violin. In contrast to his usual work, Chagall’s David Mourns Absalom is not a celebration. When David was told Absalom had been killed, his grief was overwhelming. He said, “Oh my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would God I had died for thee, Oh Absalom, my son, my son!” (II Samuel 18:33). Even with David’s worldly glory – represented by his crown and the fortress-like walls and tower in the background – he could not change what happened. David with a hand on his forehead is sitting on the ground carrying his grief alone while people passing on the road below are preoccupied with their own concerns. The reason for Chagall’s placement of the sun in the background is not clear; as a setting sun it may reflect David’s despair. As a rising sun, it may indicate hope for the future.

Inasmuch as acid is used to etch a plate, a heliogravure (the process used to print Chagall’s drawing) may be called an “etching” but it differs from a print made by an artist working directly on a prepared plate with a scriber. Nicephore Niecpe of France developed this process in the early nineteenth century while trying to make a photograph. It has been known since the time of the early Greeks that light carries images. If we place ourselves in a light free room (a camera obscura – meaning “dark room”) with a small hole in one wall, light enters the room through the hole and the outside scene is projected (upside down) onto the opposite wall; Niepce and others were seeking a way to make a permanent copy of the projected image but early photographs faded rather quickly. In answer to this, Niepce invented a method that could print an image in ink. In this process, an image was transferred onto an emulsion covered copper plate. After several steps, the plate was etched, inked, and printed. Although early photographs would fade, an image of it could be printed permanently on paper in ink. Drawings could be reproduced by this method as well.

Note

Heliogravure translates to “sun engraving.” Sunlight is used to harden the light sensitive emulsion while preparing the plate but a heliogravure is not an “engraving” in the traditional sense. Recessed areas are not removed with a burin. They are eaten away with acid and therefore it is an “etching.”

Nicephore Niecpe is credited with making the first photograph (in 1826).

If a person is not familiar with Chagall’s work and saw only David Mourns Absalom, they might think it was refrigerator-door-art drawn by a grandchild. It is likely that this drawing was a preliminary sketch done hastily with charcoal as Chagall was exploring ideas.

Images from Chagall’s paintings of village scenes and houses were used for sets of the musical, “Fiddler on the Roof,” (based on the Tevye stories of Sholem Aleichem). Chagall designed sets for Stravinsky’s ballet, “The Firebird,” and he also painted murals. Two of his murals were for opera houses; the Metropolitan in New York City and the Paris Opera.

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B Proper 13, Art for August 5, 2012

LUIKEN , Caspar (Dutch, 1672-1708)
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Artwork: Nathan rebukes David for his adultery
Artist: LUIKEN, Caspar (Dutch, 1672-1708)
Date: Published 1712
Technique: Copper engraving
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Nathan Rebukes David for His Adultery, Published in 1712, Copper Engraving, Caspar Luiken (1672-1708)

Commentary by Hovak Najarian

At the time Caspar Luiken was born, Amsterdam was still aglow from its golden age of art and commerce. During those years it was the wealthiest city in Europe and an important center for the arts. His father, Jan Luiken, was a contemporary of Rembrandt and Franz Hals during their latter years and was a very successful illustrator and publisher. This was a time before photographs were known; a time when highly skilled engravers such as Jan and his son Caspar filled a need for images used in publications. Caspar learned engraving from his father and it was hoped he would carry on the family business but after working with him initially, he went to Germany to be on his own. Six years later he returned to help financially support his father but then died at the age of thirty-six. A book of Caspar’s engravings of Old Testament events, including Nathan Rebukes David for his Adultery, was published posthumously.

In the Second Book of Samuel (Chap. 12), the prophet Nathan was sent by the Lord to visit David and upon his arrival, told him a story of two men; one rich and the other poor. In the story, the wealthy man used his position to take advantage over the poor one. When David heard what the rich man had done he was furious but then Nathan said to him, “You are that man.” Nathan then reminded him that he had “…murdered Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and stolen his wife.” At this, David became remorseful and confessed, “I have sinned against the Lord.” He then listened as Nathan told him what the sad consequences of his actions would be. In Caspar’s engraving, David is crownless, his head is downcast, and he is slump-shouldered as Nathan points his finger at him in a scene reminiscent of a Greek tragedy.

Although Caspar Luiken lived during the Baroque period, the architectural setting gives this illustration a classical quality. Ornate aspects of the print are limited primarily to the drapery, robes, carpet, and the two covered storage vessels. In keeping with what had become standard practice for an artist of this era, a strong light source defines the folds of the robes and fills the space with high contrasts. Caspar also demonstrates his skill in creating an illusion of pictorial depth. Through an accurate use of linear perspective, our attention is taken back to a brightly lit space and then a window takes us back even farther into a distant landscape.

In an illustration created more than 175 years after master engravers Albrecht Durer and Lucas van Lyden were active artists, Caspar’s print is an excellent example of the subtle values (a range from black to white) that can be achieved with simply a burin, copper plate, ink, and paper. An actual continuous gradation of tone (as in a photograph or ink wash) is not a technique that is inherent in the engraving process. To make gray tones an artist must place lines close together in a technique called hatching. In the architecture directly above Nathan’s head, the simple “parallel hatching” produces a light gray value. At the very bottom of the print the dark area is rendered in “crosshatching.” The fine parallel lines are engraved horizontally and then crossed by lines in the opposite direction. Areas that are crosshatched carry more ink and produce a darker value in the print. Through skillful use of hatching, Caspar is able to control the lightness and darkness throughout this illustration.

Jan Luiken completed more than 3,200 works and his son Caspar produced over a 1000 engravings; all in exquisite detail. Yet today the name, Luiken, seldom appears in art history books. It is unfortunate that today’s critics and art historians tend to value art that is on a wall or a pedestal more than they do small prints made for an audience that appreciates the intimacy of a book.

[A brief description of the engraving process is given in the note following the Art Commentary for: “B Proper 7, Jun 24, 2012.”]

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B Proper 12, Art for July 29, 2012

SALVIATI, Cecchino del
(b. 1510, Firenze, d. 1563, Roma)
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Bathsheba Goes to King David
1552-54
Fresco
Palazzo Sacchetti, RomeClick to open Web Gallery of Art commentary page. Click image for large view.

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