Gospel in Art: I bless you, Father, for hiding these things

Café Terrace at Night, 1888, Oil on canvas, © Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo, Netherlands / Alamy

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 29 April 2023
Matthew 11:25-30

Jesus exclaimed, 'I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do. Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, just as no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

'Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.'

Reflection on the painting

The insight and beauty of the Gospels cannot be put into any one mould. What we discover, what is being revealed to us, what we connect with, is always far bigger and less definable than whatever shape we try to squeeze the Gospels into. So much that is hidden in the Gospels is being slowly revealed to us as we journey through life. When I write these reflections, even though the same Gospel reading comes back again and again, it feels different every time. We simply connect with different parts of the reading every time we read them again.

In a similar way, looking at art follows this pattern too: the more one looks at a painting, the more one comes back to the same painting, new things are always discovered. By re-visiting the same artworks, our knowledge and understanding of them deepens.

A fascinating painting to illustrate this point is our canvas by Vincent van Gogh, titled, 'Café Terrace at Night'. It is considered to be one of Van Gogh's most important paintings, painted two years before his death, at the height of his artistic output. We recognise immediately his trademark hand: the colour palette with contrasting blues and yellows, the starry night, etc… However, closer inspection suggests why the picture is also believed to be a portrayal of the Last Supper. As the Gospel speaks about 'hiding' and 'revealing', in a way this painting has done the same for me. The first two times I saw this painting, I merely admired its colours and composition, but after someone told me this could be a painting of the Last Supper, something hidden was revealed to me. Van Gogh, son of a Protestant minister, was very spiritual, so it is not unthinkable that the twelve people sitting down to eat, with only one long-haired standing figure, would be his version of the Last Supper. Also note the cross above the Christ-like figure, made up from the window frames...

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/matthew-11-25-30-2023/. (see a larger copy of the image here)