The piece that I find most intriguing is the sculpture called Vesperbild. It is a mini scuplture of a lifeless jesus and the virgin Mary holding his body in her arms. This piece shows the true emothions of the ordeal that happened after Jesus was crucified. Before this whenever Jesus and Mary had been in a painting or piece of art together they were always seen as the Virgin Mary being a beautiful and caring mother who placed all the attention on the baby Jesus. But this piece shows Mary as a real human showing feelings and intensity and showing her love for her child Jesus as he lays dead in her arms. She is not portrayed beautiful as she mourns her childs death. To make her as the beautiful and still Mary would make her seem non-human as it would show no emothions for her childs loss. The artist tried to show the emotions and feelings felt as a mother lost her child, regardless of it was jesus or not. And with the intensity of Mary staring at her life less son he captures everything imagined. I personally love this piece because it strays away from the non-human portrayal of Mary and Jesus and actually shows the emotions that have never been before portrayed by these two historical figures.
This piece definitely creates a reaction whether good or bad. It is difficult to look at this piece without feeling something. I think that may have been the artist's intent - to get us to "feel" something. In a world where religion was doled out by a priest, it would have been refreshing to have a connection with spiritual sacrifice.
ReplyDeleteI agree it is hard to look at, but I do appreciate that I feel all the emotion in their faces.
ReplyDeleteThis sculpture affected me as well. I was instantly drawn to Mary's face which was incredibly formed to convey the suffering within her as she realized her child was dead. Her expression seems at the exact point where within her a realization that the child she carried in her womb was gone and dead. That must be a center of despair for any mother to lose her child to death before her own. A feeling of powerful loneliness shows in her eyes and she appears at the edge of horror as if she is realizing the innocence of Christ. I've never had a picture of the suffering of Jesus affect me like this one. And, like you said, this has emotions unlike many other depictions of the suffering of Christ. Art is amazing in how the design of an image produces emotional journeys and inner reflection.
ReplyDeleteAlso most of the paintings or sculptures that we've seen were when Jesus was just a baby and he was not dead. Jesus would still be alive and a baby. When we have seen sculptures or paintings of Jesus and Mary when Jesus died, he would be on the cross still stiff and painless. I think this is an interesting twist. Also very Germany. It also shows Jesus' wounds and even if someone did not know the story, I'm pretty sure that they can understand what happened and feel just as emotional as we do.
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