THREE MARYS AFTER THE RESURRECTION

The Three Marys

During Holy Week we dealt with the women in Rogier van der Weyden’s masterpiece, “Descent from the Cross.  All four women present were Marys.

For the glorious week of Easter I have found some modern and perhaps lesser known works with our Marys.  One, is by the American artist Henry Ossawa Tanner (d. 1937), who was the first African-American painter to gain international acclaim. Henry was born when our country was on the brink of its Civil War, in Pittsburgh, 1859.  Though his paintings are profound, he normally doesn't get the recognition as he deserves.

This almost austere painting depicts the three women arriving at Jesus’ tomb at sunrise, only to find that the massive boulder at the entrance has been rolled away, and Christ has risen.

This is what I would call a very “moody” work. The artist manipulates light and shadow, thus emphasizing his figures’ reactions to the events, which are not seen, but which we want to know more about.    

One can see the light from the tomb on the face and arms of the second Mary, while the light is reflected on the clothing of the first.  The third Mary in the back is a ghostly white. The witnessing of this miracle has a profound effect on each woman and each experiences it differently, as each of us experiences Christ in our own lives differently, one from another. 

“We have an anchor: by his cross we have been saved. We have a rudder: by his cross we have been redeemed. We have a hope: by his cross we have been healed and embraced so that nothing and no one can separate us from his redeeming love.”    (Pope Francis  Urbi et Orbi, March 27)