A DAY of DARKNESS

Kostis Parthenis (Greece d. 1967)

This lesser known "Pieta" by Kostis Parthenis is one of my favorites. The artist was born in Alexandria in 1878, only coming to Greece for the frst time in 1903. In 1929 he was appointed as a professor at the ASFA where he taught until 1947. He died in Athens in 1967.

He  was probably the first modern Greek artist to assimilate elements of prehistoric Aegean art in his work.
Hi very muted colors convey loss, sorrow  and hopelessness.  The following work on the otherhand
gives us great hope, reminding us of springtime and leading us  to the Resurrection.

 And another by the British artist Norman Adams, who we mentioned on Palm Sunday.
Christ's Cross & Adam's Tree

THAT FRIDAY WE CALL GOOD

Theyre Lee-Elliott (British-d. 1988)

Graham Sutherland (English- d. 1980)

Francis Souza- India (d. 2002)

de Grazia (USA)

Jacobello Alberegno  (Italian-1390)

HOLY THRUSDAY- BODY GIVEN

The Last Supper

Stanley Spencer (1891-1951) was an English artist, who before World War I enjoyed a steady faith, in which he experienced much love with few shadows in his life. When he returned from the war his faith was shattered. While he held fast to love as a central theme of his faith, he never recovered his almost childlike trust.

Stanley, who seems to be largely know outside England, painted this work not long after the war for a private chapel belonging to Sir Henry Slesser, a prominent Catholic. His images remind one of dreams and symbolism, yet there is an almost amusing aspect to this work.

WEDNESDAY in HOLY WEEK

Jesus Condemned to Death

The Wahshing of the Feet- Ghislaine Howard

Ghislaine Howard is a British artist born in 1953 who was named as a Woman of The Year in 2008 for her contribution to art and society. A painter of powerful and expressive means, she is known for her ability to express our Christian faith in an imaginative and arresting way.

In her Washing of the Feet she has mixed sand with the paint to create a sculptural texture which serves to at once unify and heighten the intensity and intimacy of the scene.

The Breaking of the Bread- Koder

One of my favorite artists, whom we have dealt with in a past blog is Sieger Koder, a German priest who uses painting as Jesus used parables. He reveals the depth of the Christian message through metaphors. Köder dips his brush into the very essence of Scripture and with color describes the wholeness of human life.

 “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” Jn 6:35

The Washing of the Feet-Koder

TUESDAY in HOLY WEEK

Suffering Servant - Friedrich Peter   (Canada)

Living not far from us (as the eagle flies) is the German born artist Friedrich Peter who now lives in Vancouver. He was born in 1933 and after finishing his studies, he and his wife Christine were enticed by a poster of the Canadian Rockies and sought out the Canadian consulate to explore the possibility of leaving Germany. The rugged nature of the North touched him deeply. Upon their arrival in Canada in 1957, they took a train from Montreal to Vancouver, where in 1958 Friedrich became an instructor at the Vancouver School of Art.
His unusual style of typeface design work has received many awards.

Friedrich and Christine have raised three children, all born in Canada, and believe that "God’s guidance, not our dreams of freedom…brought us to Canada."

Judas Iscariot Betrayed our Lord (1987)

While in Black & White I present another wonderful  artist John Muafangejo (1943-87) who was born in Angola.  He grew up in a traditional homestead herding cattle during the day and playing communal and literary games, with their strong moral and philosophical content, with the elders in the evening. This period of his life clearly influenced not only his development as an artist but also the content of his work forming the basis of his strongly autobiographical subject matter. Following the death of his father in 1955, his mother inherited nothing and so moved to a mission station where John joined her in 1957. He converted to Christianity at the age of fourteen and in 1964 attended St Mary's Anglican mission school at Odibo in Namibia where his artistic skills were recognized and arrangements were made for him to train at Rorke's Drift.

Muafangejo is best known for his linocuts of figures, religious and historical scenes. His images have a strong narrative quality and his illustrations of African traditions often have an explanatory script. His work can be seen in public galleries throughout South Africa.

HOLY WEEK in MODERN TIMES

I am always astounded in art how images we have seen over and over again, some a thousand years old, such as the Crucifixion, can be changed to inspire us anew, with form and colors.

This Holy Week I present some very modern art depicting the Passion of Christ, some you may like, others maybe not, but all are thought provoking.

PALM SUNDAY:

Christ's Entry into Jerusalem- Norman Adams  (British- d. 2005)

As he rode along, the people were spreading their cloaks on the road;
and now as he was approaching the slope of the Mount of Olives,  the whole multitude of his disciples began to praise God aloud with joy for all the mighty deeds they had seen. They proclaimed:
“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.” LK.19

MONDAY in HOLY WEEK

Ioana Corujan

Mihaela Bercea

Today's images are by Romanian artists who have "resurrected" the old art of reverse glass painting in which the image is painted behind a glass panel, making the usual methods of composition reversed. The outlines, the lettering, and finishing details have to be brushed onto the glass first before background coloring and sections of gold leaf can be applied, a process allowing for no mistakes! The image is then sealed with a coating of varnish, covered with a sheet of paper, and fixed in a wood frame with a protective backing.

  The colors in the pieces depicted here are vibrant and their primitive style evokes the sufferings of Jesus in a way some more classical work does not.

Throughout the 19th century painting on glass was very popular as folk art in Austria, Bavaria, Moravia, Bohemia and Slovakia. Unfortunately, during the inter-war period (1914-45) this traditional "naive" technique fell nearly to a complete oblivion and its methods of paint composition and structural layout had to be re-invented by combining acrylic and oil paints. Also the style of painting and especially the themes had to be varied and adjusted to new perceptions of the world in modern times.

Georgeta Maria Iuga

Painting on glass started to become popular again during the 1990s. However, many painters of this genre affirm that abandoning that unique tradition of naivist approach to painting on glass is rather difficult. Mihaela, Ioana and Georgeta are several of the artists of note today in their native Romania.