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PotOnWheel
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Date Joined Jul 2001
Total Posts : 9890

Posted 7/9/2002 5:13 PM (GMT -6)

I forget who it was that told the story of how they had used the hymn "In the Garden" as a negative example. (I come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses; and the voice I hear, falling on my ear; the Son of God discloses. And He walks with me, and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own, and the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known.) The hymn tune is a 1912 model; so that's grandparents for me and great grandparents for many. Personally I can't think of any hymn that I may have thought bad. Oh yeah. A college president friend of mine was kidded about liking "Life is Like a Mountain Highway." (He didn't.) But as to "In the Garden," it is a good hymn that not every generation likes. Funerals of older saints can also make one take a second look. In the story I told an old woman took him to task after the church service, as THAT hymn was one she had shared with Jesus after her perhaps drunken father had passed out (or to that effect). The story teller remarked that it was a humbling correction, and well taken.

"Life is Like a Mountain Highway" -- and let me go out on a limb here -- is merely a stupid song. Its not dangerous. And I don't want the job of deciding which hymns ARE dangerous. No way. But I do remember at least one nomination. Our college chaplain pointed out that "the little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes" is both bad theology and potentially cancerous to your faith. So I'll stop with that one, Christmas time hymn.

What is this leading to? Why did I title the thread "moldy, oldie or goldie?" (Spelling corrections welcomed.) No neat on-to-one paring is assigned. But it is in my head that sometimes hymns, pictures and what-all can sometimes be too "gushy," or sometimes too logically contrived.

Personally I step back when I see pictures of people dressed up to be Jesus. And its not just the blonde hair. Even brunette there is still this American playing to the camera. And no, I'm not applying for that job -- its still vacant if you want it. (Someone will reveal just how mightily the Lord used it. Fine. I'm happy.) But perhaps it is all the specifics that limit attention to what is at the core. Maybe we could explore what that core is?

And all across the country there are images of Christ to go along with the "no crying He makes" hymn; but this time He is grown up. Some very famous paintings of Christ in twentieth century America can make people draw lines of contention just as strong as KJV versus notKJV for Bible reading. Should I mention the artist. Maybe not now. But I can hint that a carpenter who did lots of masonry work in Palestine wouldn't look that weak...

Well, what DOES represent, and what does image the ONE whom we are in the image of? The one who took on our flesh and blood. Emotions? Logic? Abstaining from wondering?

Moldy, oldie or goldie?

Edited by - (o) on 07/09/2002 10:18:26 PM

PotOnWheel
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Date Joined Jul 2001
Total Posts : 9890

Posted 7/9/2002 5:28 PM (GMT -6)

ENTERING A COW PASTURE FOR THE FIRST TIME, MY FRIEND TOLD ME TO WATCH WHERE I STEPPED.
(I asked him what he meant.)

PotOnWheel
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Date Joined Jul 2001
Total Posts : 9890

Posted 7/9/2002 5:44 PM (GMT -6)

(IF YOU WAIT UNTIL THE VERY LOST PICTURE TO LOAD YOU WILL SEE THE LAST PICTURE. THEN YOU WILL KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.)

(daVinci)

(This is from catholicsupply.com; but we thought of it as more Evangelical in the the early 70s.)

(Rembrandt)

(Durer)

(prison picture)

Electra
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Date Joined Feb 2002
Total Posts : 611

Posted 7/9/2002 6:03 PM (GMT -6)

I can’t supress it anymore...So long Tiffany’s, hello Moon River!

(o), my friend, somehow your gripe about cheesy hymns combined with that last portrait of Christ brings out my Johnny Cash/Patsy Cline (“Crazy, I’m crazy…”)/secret hillbilly history! I used to sing alto and play the bones in my daddy’s jug band. Yeah haw!

Life is like a mountain railway,
With an engineer that's brave.
We must make the run successful,
From the cradle to the grave.
Heed the curves, the hills, the tunnels,
Never falter, never fail.
Keep your hands upon the throttle,
And your eyes upon the rail

Chorus
Blessed Saviour, Thou wilt guide us,
'Til we reach that blissful shore,
Where the angels wait to join us,
In God's praise for evermore.

As we roll along the mainline,
There'll be storms and there'll be night.
There'll be sidetracks unexpected,
On the left and on the right.
But with the straight always before us,
And our hearts upon the prize,
There'll be no disembarakation,
Until we reach paradise.

Electra

~·• kyrie eleison ·~•~· christe eleison ·~•~· kyrie eleison •·~

Edited by - Electra on 07/09/2002 11:11:24 PM

Electra
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Date Joined Feb 2002
Total Posts : 611

Posted 7/10/2002 3:43 AM (GMT -6)

(o), I’m not sure what the point of this thread is, but it struck me on several levels. Thank you for posting all those portraits of Christ. The last one reminded me (besides reminding me of my secret penchant for Johnny Cash) of my favorite Flannery O’Connor story, “Parker’s Back.” In terms of the old master’s, my favorite portrait of Christ will always be Rembrandt’s.

Here are a few more portraits of Christ to add to the mix:

~·• kyrie eleison ·~•~· christe eleison ·~•~· kyrie eleison •·~

PotOnWheel
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Date Joined Jul 2001
Total Posts : 9890

Posted 7/10/2002 4:40 AM (GMT -6)

Electra: ("...the point of this thread..."

(o): That remains to be seen. It may only become whatever more than one person wants -- someone take the hook or it sinks.

Thanks for the portrait posts.

I'm prone to cruitique--which sinks threads--but here goes. (I have such an outstanding record after mentioning "Mountain Railroad"; don't I?)

In the line of portraits I'd posted I tried to juxtapose them, so as to help the differences become more apparent. To me, the Rembrandt and the statue for the side of a church (with crown of thorns) are very real. I look for the reality of the incarnation. In contrast, the white procelaineous bust just under the daVinci is "off in its own world" of beauty school. The eyes-so-small are aware only of the beautific curls descending to his shoulders...but not aware of us. I liked the "Christ Liberator" picture (at catholicsupply.com) when I was in high school. I should look again wondering whether the 70s-revolution (suburban style) has warn off...or whether it was never there in the first place. It is active, present, messy-haired real. If it has a weakness, perhaps it might be that it could be made to be "my" Jesus; when it needs to be me who is His. The Neon colored picture seems to merely piggybackride on Christ being a recognizable subject. It is expressive--and expression is an OK activity for an artist. But it is the artist's expression: ultimatley about Him/Her. It could be her expression about her knowledge of or feelings about Christ. But it is not about anything that transcends, or redeems her. The Rembrant and the Thorns-statue are. There are thee Catholic paintings in the bunch; and I think that the last one is an ElGreco. The are very emotionally real. They are different from the Rambrandt. The three of them all have a contraposto--which is typically very Catholic: body facing one direction and face another, etc. I think that the point is to produce in paint a 'spiritual' reality. In comparing them to Rembrandt, I'd wonder whether the beautifully seductive creation of these paintings replaces the incarnation with something either more attractive, or more 'spiritual?' I like and admire ElGreco's work (one up from the prison picture); but that 'Christ' could be a man posessed of the Spirit: Nestorian. (Its that gaze up to heaven. BTW-Max Dvorack wrote a great article on "ElGreco and Mannerism.")

Electra, what's your thoughts on the pictures YOU posted?

(Got any favorite tunes?)

Edited by - (o) on 07/10/2002 10:40:23 AM

might-be-don
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Date Joined Jun 2001
Total Posts : 830

Posted 7/12/2002 7:18 AM (GMT -6)

This one has special meaning to me...

I'm in the livingroom at a friend's house, tripping on LSD. When a series of events happen while sitting on the couch, that forever change my life.

Too much to describe the entire event now ( I may have in the "what's your story" thread from long ago ) , but the end of that sequence of events was looking up and seeing that picture hanging on the wall. At that point, I believed. That image spoke to me of a God I could relate to and trust. I can point back to that moment in time sitting on the couch listening to Richard Strauss's tone poem, "Also sprach Zarathustra", as the defining moment of my life. The opening movement of that work is titled, "Of the Otherworldsmen" ( loosely, "Of the Devine, Man feels the power of God" ) . I felt His power.

peace and love, don

<hr>
"It's time to wipe the tears from our eyes time to stop questioning why, 'cos every clipped birds gonna fly the Healing has begun" T.S Taylor

Edited by - might-be-don on 07/12/2002 12:19:49 PM

PotOnWheel
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Date Joined Jul 2001
Total Posts : 9890

Posted 7/15/2002 4:48 PM (GMT -6)

I'm back.

Here is someone's matchup for Psalms.

the psalms which refer to the king are sung in the Church in reference to Christ's exaltation and glorification at the right hand of God.
psalms which refer to Israel's deliverance are sung in reference to Christ's redemption of the whole world.
psalms calling for victory over the enemies in battle refer to the only real Enemy, the devil, and all of his wicked works which Christ has come to destroy. Babylon thus signifies the realm of Satan, and Jerusalem, the eternal Kingdom of God.
psalms which lament the innocent suffering of the righteous are sung as the plea of the Lord Himself and all those with Him who are the "poor and needy" who will rise up to rule the earth on the day of God's terrible judgment.

Any more comments on pictures?

Edited by - (o) on 07/15/2002 9:51:54 PM

Springs
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Date Joined Jul 2001
Total Posts : 636

Posted 7/15/2002 6:36 PM (GMT -6)

(o),I liked your critique as well as the artwork.
We had your second submission hanging in our home when I was a kid.
Also one that's not pictured; Jesus standing outside a door with no handle on the outside.

Of the ones you included I like the Rembrandt best.

My visual image of Jesus has olive skin. He is very rugged and wounded, but strong, joyous and loving.

...but I have called you friends... Jn 15:15

PotOnWheel
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Date Joined Jul 2001
Total Posts : 9890

Posted 7/17/2002 11:32 AM (GMT -6)

Electra, the idea for this thread was prompted by you.

Any more interest?

PotOnWheel
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Date Joined Jul 2001
Total Posts : 9890

Posted 7/22/2002 11:35 AM (GMT -6)

Christ the lover

That is the name of an article on Flannery O'Connor's and C.S. Lewis' work in an issue of the magazine Christianity and the Arts (a now defunct Chicago publication)

Anyone here a Flannery O'Connor lover?

PotOnWheel
Registered Member

Date Joined Jul 2001
Total Posts : 9890

Posted 7/22/2002 11:36 AM (GMT -6)

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