Thursday, November 29, 2012

Art that Impacts

This coming Friday is our big event at the community center.  We want part of that time to feature art, paintings mainly, that speak to the issue of societal change.  Much of the focus will be spiritual change that produces societal change...change in individuals, families and ultimately the culture as a whole.

Each one of these pictures, as you may well imagine, has a story behind it.  Samuel painted the first picture, and although I've never heard his interpretation of it that I can recall, it certainly would appear to be representative of God forming a person out of dirt, giving him (or her) life.

The second picture is provocative!  To the best of my knowledge, it is entitled Cristo Guerrero, or Warrior Christ. It is, needless to say, not your typical meek and mild image of the second person of the trinity!  I'm guessing here, but it wouldn't be a stretch to think that this image, or similar ones, were used to promote liberation theology back in the 60s and 70s.  We are very much in favor of theology that liberates (Romans 3:24), and certainly a faith that doesn't change us, and consequently our world, well, isn't worth a whole lot.  The picture is three feet tall and over two feet wide!  So far we haven't hung it anywhere in our house...still not sure if that's the image of Jesus we want to communicate...but I do like it.  It was given to us as a gift from good friends, and was made by an inmate at one of Mexico City's prisons.  You can't tell by the picture, but it has a bit of a 3D effect in the actual image.

The third picture came about as a result of my brother-in-law, José Luis, and I doodling on a kitchen table one evening.  We wanted to describe the Word, in an abstract way.  Look for Jesus in that picture.  You'll see him and other members of the Trinity all over the place!




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