I have scattered your offenses like the clouds.
Oh, return to me, for I have paid the price to set you free.” Isaiah 44:22
Jesus’ words attracted many followers. To teach Christ’s miracles, followers have used speeches, novels, songs, dances, and other artistic forms. Johann Boeckhorst painted “The Triumphant Christ Forgiving Repentant Sinners” (1660) to spread Christianity and its teachings. His painting reminds people that they have their savior Christ, during both easy and hard times.
First, let us examine Jesus’ surroundings. Both royal kings and downtrodden men view Christ. Their various backgrounds aside, they all bring Jesus their sorrows. This reminds the viewer that anyone can follow Christianity. Their social class or financial situation does not matter. They can still find salvation. Painting various people, Boeckhorst shows that Christians don’t have to have money. Jesus even worked as a poor carpenter, choosing poverty to benefit others. Boeckhorst painted this piece following the Protestant Reformation, when the traditional Catholic Church split and created many different sects.
The church also split because Catholic clergy sold indulgences, which gave forgiveness. Obviously, clergy members do not have the right to say whom God forgives and whom he does not. Catholics and Protestants also debated how to repent. Catholics believed repenting acts must be done, while Protestants felt faith alone would suffice. Boeckhorst painted this peace so that both divisions would approve. This allows the viewer to form his or her own beliefs. Obviously, the sinners found Jesus and knelt to ask forgiveness, but the sinners also had faith that God and Jesus would forgive their sins, because they truly look miserable.
Objects with importance surrounding Jesus include the cross in his left hand, the skull, serpent, and globe under his feet, and the cherubs and holy light in the sky. The cross is the international symbol of Christianity and symbolizes that Jesus died for the people to save them from their sins. It serves as a reminder that no matter what you have done, there is always someone present who loves you and will stand by you – thus a big part of the real meaning of Christianity. The skull and snake under Christ’s feet represent death and sin, respectively. Remember, the snake comes from the story of creation in the Bible where Eve is tempted by the serpent to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, giving her and Adam consciousness of sin. Placing the skull and serpent under Jesus’ feet characterizes his conquering of sin and death with his dying on the cross and resurrection three days later. People sin, that’s a fact of life and a majority of people are afraid of death. Having something to believe in that washes people of their sins and gives them a life after death as in Christianity puts many at ease. The globe under his feet could be Boeckhorst’s way of telling viewers that there are things better than Earth, which God has control of, and in turn faith in Him and His son Jesus saves believers in the end.
The cherubs represent heaven and having them reach out to Jesus not only preaches heaven’s existence but that Jesus resides there, waiting for you when your judgment day comes. They carry olive wreathes and branches, a sign of peace, welcoming Christ after resurrection and as a sign of salvation for the repentant sinners. Also from the sky is the holy light, painted as sort of a stairway to heaven for the forgiven. The background sky itself can be seen as stormy, as if to represent life’s trials and tribulations, but this heavenly unstoppable light breaks through the clouds giving hope and strength to carry through. In the top right corner is a less visible face, perhaps of another cherub. Those who see it may think of it as a guardian angel, always looking out for their believers “over their shoulder” and guiding them through life’s trials.
Jesus Christ himself stands for so much in this painting, most of which can only be decided upon (at least I feel so) by the viewer and what he or she believes (or chooses to believe) in. What I see, however, is strength and forgiveness – everything that Christianity means to me on some level. Boeckhorst must have meant these more personal feelings only felt by each individual viewer to be reached by the simplicity yet openness that he painted into Jesus’ form. His body is presented as facing the viewer, with an outreached right hand, as if you could walk into the painting and hug him. He carries the cross, but not as a burden because he doesn’t lean on it, but merely rests it by his side only as symbol for his death to save his believers.
The only clothing Christ is shown wearing is the minimal white cloth, probably what he would have worn upon his crucifixion, and a flowing red cloak over his left shoulder. The red coloring represents blood shed for our sins and the seemingly large size of the cloak could act as a blanket for the people, for his believers as a protection mechanism. The outreached hand to the people surrounding Christ also shows his openness and willingness to forgive believers of their sins and hold their hand through troubled times. Also, the traditional halo of light around Jesus’ head symbolizes his holiness and triumph over the evils of Earth (sin and death).
Jesus has been given many faces in his many depictions by artists. Here it is a little hard to decipher whether Boeckhorst paints Jesus’ face as forgiving or gloomy. By the title of the work, however, I would assume that his face is exonerating because the surrounding sinners have come to him in repentance. Perhaps the look of sadness comes from giving up his life for the people. Or maybe Jesus is just tired because being triumphant over sin and death is quite a big deal and it must take a lot of energy. But that’s probably not the case. The sadness may also come from disappointment that his people continue to sin, however, he is still forgiving since they are repentant.
Boeckhorst’s depiction of Christ as our Savior through his painting is his way of preaching Christianity to the masses, or at least to those who could view his works. He also could have painted it to express his own views of Christian faith, especially if one takes into consideration how sometimes actions and products speak louder than words and internal emotions. “The Triumphant Christ Forgiving Repentant Sinners” could also have been Boeckhorst’s way of finding his own deeper connection with Christ or perhaps an offering for a forgiveness of a sin he committed. One never really knows the exact reasoning for an artist’s work. However, in this case, Boeckhorst and his painting could easily be suggested to convey the message of Jesus’ eternal love, God’s miraculous power, and the opportunity to be forgiven for our sins. Much of this must lie with the viewer and his or her beliefs, but this painting could definitely spur interest in Christian faith, or at least renewal for those who are Christian.
This painting is full of icons – they are what Boeckhorst knows will make the strongest impression on the viewers. After all, repetition has been proven to make people remember and recall aspects of the world better. Putting his own twist on these icons allows Boeckhorst to show what he feels about Christianity and what he hopes others might find in that faith. And the beauty of this single painting is, even though it was painted in the mid-seventeenth century, “The Triumphant Christ Forgiving Repentant Sinners” shows images that still have an impact on viewers. The same basic beliefs are held in the Christian faith today as they were in Boeckhorst’s time, even though some of the traditions and implications of those beliefs evolved with society. But one piece of art could be enough to remind people what being a Christian is truly about…of course, that may take open-mindedness and care in addition to seeing this painting.
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