MILLAIS’ CHRIST IN THE HOUSE OF HIS PARENTS
July 3rd 2021
In today’s gospel passage from Mark, the people of Nazareth refer to Jesus as a carpenter. In Matthew, they refer to him as a carpenter’s son. In this painting, which was inspired by a sermon, Millais presents us with
JAN BRUEGHEL’S CHRIST IN STORM ON THE SEA OF GALILEE
June 19th 2021
Dark clouds advance across the sky and almost obscure the sun. In their shadow the disciples struggle to prevent their boat from sinking, as the waves come close to filling it. This picture includes several details mentioned in today’s gospel
JAN BRUEGEL’S SERMON ON THE MOUNT
June 12th 2021
Although the scene shown here is the Sermon on the Mount, I think it could have been named for a parable such as that of the mustard seed in today’s gospel reading, where great things come from tiny beginnings. The
TITIAN’S SUPPER AT EMMAUS AT THE WALKER GALLERY
June 5th 2021
You might consider the table cloth to be of little importance in the story of the Supper at Emmaus, but it dominates this painting. The white weave is strikingly set against the darker tones of evening. The table with its
THE VISITATION OF THE VIRGIN TO ELIZABETH
May 29th 2021
The scene is from the Gospel of Luke (Lk 1:39 -56) Having heard the message of the angel, the Virgin Mary leaves Nazareth and goes “into the hill country, to a city of Judah.” She hastens to visit her
MURILLO’S VIRGIN OF THE ROSARY AT DULWICH
May 14th 2021
Murillo painted the subject of the Virgin of the Rosary at least seven times. This is his last one. In all of these paintings, the Virgin is seated with the child Jesus in her arms holding rosary beads. In all
Murillo’s Virgin of the Rosary at the Prado
May 8th 2021
A young mother and her child hold each other close. Both engage the viewer with the same solemn and serious gaze. This mother and child are entirely credible. It would be hard to believe that the models are not a
CARAVAGGIO’S MADONNA OF THE ROSARY
May 1st 2021
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madonna_of_the_Rosary_(Caravaggio)#/media/File:Michelangelo_Merisi,_called_Caravaggio_-_Madonna_of_the_Rosary_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg The great red cloth and the column on the left suggest that the Our Lady and Jesus are seated on a make-shift throne. While the child Jesus stares out at us, Our Lady gestures to a Dominican friar.
THE GOOD SHEPHERD
April 24th 2021
To our Christian eyes, this figure of the Good Shepherd carrying the sheep on his shoulders surely derives from the parable of the lost sheep which is found in the Gospel of Luke (Lk 15:4-5) and, perhaps, also from the
DUCCIO’S APPEARANCE TO THE APOSTLES AT TABLE
April 17th 2021
“Appearance to the Apostles while at Table”, (Maesta) Duccio di Buoninsegno, 1308 -1311, Museo dell’ Opera Metropolitana del Duomo, Siena. You can view this image in high resolution at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Duccio_di_Buoninsegna_-_Appearance_While_the_Apostles_are_at_Table_-_WGA06738.jpg Duccio shows the Risen Christ appearing to the eleven
