With unprecedented realism and uplifting vision,
Carl Bloch shows us the wonder of Christ healing the blind man.
Bloch displays many of life’s usual suspects in this painting. There’s the skeptic (red hat, on the left), the carefree child wanting to see where all the action is at (lower left center), the dutiful apostle restraining the child from interrupting the miracle (right of child), the hopeful-pious servant watching Jesus with a holy joy (right of Jesus), the fellow right behind the hopeful-pious servant observing the skepticism of the skeptic, and the two men on top of the wall who watch with expectation but got stuck in the nose-bleed section.
All the viewers watch and wait – permanently caught in the brush strokes of
Carl Bloch.
One of the more popular themes for many artists, Jesus healing the blind man, has several references in the New Testament. One that appears most fitting for this painting comes from the
Evangelist Saint Mark. Right before the passage on Jesus healing the blind man, He speaks to his apostles about “whosoever shall be the first among you, shall be the servant of all. For the Son of man is not come to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a redemption for many.” -
Mark 10:44-45
To immediately practice exactly what He preaches, Jesus Christ shows an excellent example of “ministering”: He heals a blind man. One of the other neat things about this passage is that it actually refers to the blind man by name: Bartimeus, which is a Syriac word literally translating as ‘son of Timaeus’. People in the New Testament who are miraculously healed usually don’t have recorded names. Perhaps this is another reason why Carl Bloch decided to paint such a prominent scene.
Jesus Christ performing the miracle of healing the blind is an example of healing mankind of his spiritual blindness. Often it becomes simple to forget about the spiritual aspect of reality, to become ‘blind’ to what really matters. Jesus Christ is the one to remove our spiritual blindness in order for us to continue on the road to perfection. Hopefully, we can be like the blind and ‘leap up’ to directly follow Christ forever.
For the verbatim story of healing the blind man, Saint Mark tells it quite well, so we finish with his rendition of the story:
“And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho, with his disciples, and a very great multitude, Bartimeus the blind man, the son of Timeus, sat by the way side begging. Who when he had heard, that it was Jesus of Nazareth, began to cry out, and to say: Jesus son of David, have mercy on me. And many rebuked him, that he might hold his peace; but he cried a great deal the more: Son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus, standing still, commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying to him: Be of better comfort: arise, he calleth thee. Who casting off his garment leaped up, and came to him. And Jesus answering, said to him: What wilt thou that I should do to thee? And the blind man said to him: Rabboni, that I may see. And Jesus saith to him: Go thy way, thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he saw, and followed him in the way. – Mark 10:46-52
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Originally painted as a watercolor, French artist and illustrator James Tissot captures the moment the blessed virgin Mary recites the Magnificat while visiting her relations Elizabeth and Zacharias (notice them looking on in the background).
The Virgin Mary raises her hands in a gesture of praise and prayer while reciting the Magnificat in response to Elizabeth’s statement:
“And blessed art thou that hast believed, because those things shall be accomplished that were spoken to thee by the Lord.
And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. Because he that is mighty, hath done great things to me; and holy is his name. And his mercy is from generation unto generations, to them that fear him. He hath shewed might in his arm: he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.He hath received Israel his servant, being mindful of his mercy: As he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed for ever.” – LK 1:45-55
Tissot was known for spending time in the Holy Land and painting a plethora of scenes from the life of Christ. What particularly sets him aside from other artists’ renditions of the life of Christ is his authenticity in displaying accurately the ethnic garb and customs that were in place while Christ walked the earth. Though this deviates from many of the typical Western-art depictions of the life of Christ, the viewer has the opportunity for a more historically accurate glimpse into the true visual appearances of the time.
Many of Tissot’s artistic renditions also reveal some never-before seen ‘footage’ of the life of Christ. Two paintings in particular demonstrate this concept: What Our Savior Saw from the Cross and The Virgin Mary in Old Age. The first depicts the crucifixion through the eyes of Christ, and the second depicts our Blessed Mother kneeling on Mt. Calvary at the hole where the cross of her Son once rested.
Download the high-res version of this image and other works of Tissot at Restored Traditions.
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The Madonna of Catholic Kings, originally painted by early-Renaissance Spanish painter Fernando Gallego.
The Madonna of Catholic kings illustrates the Virgin Mary holding the child Jesus being adored by prominent Catholic figures around the time of the composition of this painting. Mary and Jesus, prominently sitting on an ornate throne and garbed in rich vestments, watch over and protect those who pray to them.
King Ferdinand V is kneeling on the left with St. Thomas Aquinas standing (holding the church); a young Don Juan kneels to the right of Ferdinand. Queen Isabelle is kneeling on the right with Saint Dominic above her, holding the lily and book.
A primary point to be drawn from the painting is the idea that authority comes from God first—then temporal and spiritual leaders. The King, Queen and Saints in this image all testify to the fact by showing the due respect to God and His mother.
High Mass at a Fishing Village on the Zuyder Zee by George Clausen
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We like this image, because it captures an all too relevant theme for many Catholics. Many have been at a crowded Mass. Perhaps we think that it would be nice to have some more breathing room, or maybe that the person’s children two rows back should have been physically removed twenty minutes ago. On the flip side though, isn’t a crowded Mass a good sign of devotion? Something to be thankful for?
The central woman in the painting shows us the determination of a devout
soul to stay focused during Mass. Being the farthest removed participant, she
probably can’t even hear or see what’s going on in the Mass. She stands
and kneels when she sees those in front of her change positions. And,
probably because she can’t see or hear the Mass, she prays her rosary
to stay focused and devout. A small child leans up against her, gazing off
into space—much like many at her age seem to do.
This image can provide excellent inspiration for those relating to the over-
crowded Mass.
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The Blessed Virgin tenderly eyes the beholder with a smile for the Redemption her Son has won, but with the sorrow of the price He paid. In the center, the youthful looking Virgin clutches a brown coat. Due to her young appearance, it is probable that this portrait of the Mother Mary was meant to be well before the Passion of Jesus Christ—perhaps after she had just made the seamless tunic, which she knew would eventually suffer with her Son.
The Sacred Coat, which Our Lady holds in the painting, is referred to in Scripture:
“The soldiers therefore, when they had crucified him, took his garments, (and they made four parts, to every soldier a part,) and also his coat. Now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said then one to another: Let us not cut it, but let us cast lots for it, whose it shall be; that the scripture might be fulfilled, saying: They have parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture they have cast lots.” John 19:23-24
The artist (Charles Bosseron Chambers) is said to have painted many of his religious subjects purely from imagination. He painted this rendition of the Madonna as an altar piece for Saint Ignatius Church, Chicago, where it still resides today.
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The innocence of a child’s prayer is captured in the life-like drama of Bouguereau’s exquisite style.
Some speculate that this particular rendition was meant, by the artist, to be the Blessed Virgin Mary as a child. Yet, since there is not even the faintest hint of a halo around the young woman’s head, it remains mere speculation as the Virgin is traditionally depicted with some form of a halo.
Regardless, this painting remains a classic manifestation of the physical beauty of Bouguereau’s subject and the metaphysical splendor of the theme:
Transcendence of the soul to God through prayer.
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The Merciful Knight
by Edward Burne-Jones
Decked out in battle array, ready to fight to the death against all foes and cast with the fortitude of iron, the iconic knight kneels for his most gentle and humble King —Christ on the Cross. We notice an uncertainty, even a meekness of spirit, in the face of the knight. Is he feeling remorse for his sins? Is he truly terrified of the fight he will soon enter? Are these going to be his last moments of breath? Does the title Merciful Knight indicate that he has already shown mercy, or is the knight asking for the grace to show mercy to his foes at the proper time?
If we can interpret the look on his face as an act of charitable contrition and a plea for strength, then we can derive that the Knight will achieve his physical and spiritual goals. Jesus, coming down from the Crucifix in this wayside shrine, provides us with an artistic testament that His grace (working through us) will conquer all.
“And the God of peace crush Satan under your feet speedily.The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” Romans 16:20
Analysis of Antonio Ciseri’s Painting Ecce Homo
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We’ve found this image (Ecce Homo – Behold the Man) to be helpful for meditation on the Passion. One of the reasons it is such an aid is because it leaves much for the imagination. Specifically, we don’t see the faces of Jesus or Pilate from the front (as is usually the case in art). Instead, we have a view from the rear of the scene, as if from the view of a roman servant in waiting.
What pulls the eye in right away, of course, is the central scene of Pilate displaying Jesus to the Jews and saying ‘Behold the Man.’ Even if the title of this painting wasn’t “Ecce Homo,” it’s still simple to derive that this is indeed the moment the artwork captures. Notice the motion of Pilate’s arm, pointing towards Christ, the crown of thorns barely visible on Christ’s head, and the exposed back indicating the recent flagellation.
When the eye wanders more through the painting, it will notice the most visible face in the entire image: that of the woman on the right. The look of anguish on her face, her outstretched arm embracing her friend (or servant perhaps) for emotional support—all indicate that this figure would be none other than the wife of Pontius Pilate.
“And as he (Pontius Pilate) was sitting in the place of judgment, his wife sent to him, saying: Have thou nothing to do with that just man; for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.” Matt 27:19
If it was her explicit wish for her husband to have nothing to do with a just man, then her emotional pain displayed in the picture makes perfect sense. The moment Pilate begins to announce that he has tortured the Christ, her heart sinks as the realization truly sets in that her husband displayed cruelty to the just man, despite her warnings. She turns from his side and begins slowly withdrawing—the moment captured in this painting.
We can relate to the agony of Pilate’s wife by inserting how our own sins have caused the suffering of Jesus. The brilliance of the perspective of Pilate’s wife is that she, apparently, had no idea that Jesus was God or that he was dying for ours sins. If she had so much sorrow simply because she sensed that something was awry and unjust, imagine how great her sorrow could have been had she known the sublime and grim reality of what was happening before her eyes.
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