a change of perspective
Painting number 1 (1601) = Supper at Emmaus
Painting number 2 (1606) - Supper at Emmaus
I came across this illustration while reading Exiles: Living Missionally in a Post-Christian culture. Both paintings are done by the same artist - Caravaggio. The second one is five years after the first. As an artist he is interpreting the story of Jesus at the table with the men he met on the road to Emmaus. What do you think he is trying to say?
3 comments:
The body language of the men in #1 looks like hostility or like they are defending something. Jesus is dressed formally and appears to be addressing the men.
The body language of the men in #2 looks more like the men are riveted and interacting with Jesus. Jesus is dresssed more like the men and seems to be relating or sharing with the men.
Defending Jesus- I like that, I think you might be onto something. I think it is very possible that for the artist, living in the 16th century, the gospel of Jesus was a very forceful issue something that must be defended at all times, like a Roman Empire. I think he captures the imperialistic religious attitude of the day. Glad we have made so much progress in 400 years.
Interacting with Jesus- Now that is something I can put my hands on today. It has the kind of cooperative friends of Jesus sound. It sounds as though the men are eager to learn, humbled in their lack of understanding, recognized Jesus has profound implications on the way the live their everyday life. The gospel shifts from having only noun characteristics to having verb attributes. It is a way of living interacting with the daily.
What do you think about the addition of women in picture#2?
Don't you think Jesus has always seen women as part of the equation? What happened in man's society back then that ruled women out?
As a painter myself, sometimes changes in the artist's own life cause great change in the artist's rendering/perception of the same image. I have several "topics" I return to over time...it is strange how changes are reflected.
Maybe the artist once saw Christ as something to be debated (#1) and only a topic for men to debate aside from women.
Maybe he came to know Christ personally and found all of God's creation worthy of participation and exploration. Or possibly the artist came to recognize the "verbal" role women play in Christ's kingdom and missional living?
The very fact that they are sharing a meal together has implication. The artist seems to be searching for truth and these two paintings reflect what I believe to be a teachable spirit.
Thanks for posting these. Maybe I'll try this with some of my own pieces.
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