Gospel in Art: When you have a party, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind

The Potato Eaters, by Vincent Van Gogh 1885 © Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation)

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 31 October 2022
Luke 14:12-14

Jesus said to his host, one of the leading Pharisees, 'When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not ask your friends, brothers, relations or rich neighbours, for fear they repay your courtesy by inviting you in return. No; when you have a party, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; that they cannot pay you back means that you are fortunate, because repayment will be made to you when the virtuous rise again.'

Reflection on the painting

During all ages people have used their resources and wealth to gain status, political power, honour or recognition. To be fair, this often has had beneficial effects for the wider society: public buildings get built which display the names of the benefactors, and a lot of the art that has been commissioned for our churches, is often thanks to wealthy patrons. There is nothing inherently wrong with being generous with a view to getting something in return. In today's Gospel reading Jesus finds himself amidst company of people from wealthy backgrounds. He knows that much of their giving depends on calculations of what they can get in return. So Jesus challenges them and tells them to free themselves from the narrow social circle they operate in and broaden their outlook on life, by inviting to their table poor people... people who cannot return any favours.

A painting depicting poor people eating at a humble table is Vincent Van Gogh's Potato Eaters. The painting depicts the harsh reality of Dutch peasant life at the time. Vincent painted the peasants with coarse faces and bony, working hands. In a letter to his brother Theo he wrote in 1885 that he wanted to show in this way that they 'have tilled the earth themselves with these hands they are putting in the dish ... that they have thus honestly earned their food'.

The colours used in this painting convey poverty too. Not much colour is used. The beige, brown and green tonalities convey 'something like the colour of a really dusty potato, unpeeled of course' Vincent wrote. At the time this painting drew so much criticism as the colours were so dark and, in contrast to the taste of the day, the faces were painted rather grotesquely. Yet it is exactly these people that Jesus is asking us to invite into our lives and to be generous towards them.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/

Today's reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/luke-14-12-14-2022/