The painting we are looking at this week is by Giotto di Bondone (1266-1337). I was mesmerized by this painting. It is chaotic. It is intense. It is probably a lot like the real event portrayed in the Gospels (see Matthew 26:47-56). When I think of the event, on the other hand, it is often much more calm than this. If you read Matthew's description particularly, there is a sense where there is an initial scene that Jesus dispels rather quickly. In my mind, the action stops when Jesus starts speaking, and the mob just stands there dumbly as he teaches his disciples. But that probably wasn't how it happened. Peter cut off someone's ear for goodness sake.

Bondone's painting reveals the tension I feel in my own reading well. There is something of a painting within a painting here. Immediately, upon looking at it, your eyes are drawn to Jesus and Judas. Their embrace is not one of enemies, but almost of lovers. As their eyes are locked into each others', so are the eyes of the mob locked in on their embrace. The other painting is the larger chaotic struggle, as Peter cuts off someone's ear, and the dark figure on the bottom left grabs John's cloak as he runs away. But your eyes, as much as they try, cannot stop pondering the Jesus/Judas embrace. Is Judas' expression a realization of what he has done? Is Jesus' expression and peace an act of grace or condemnation? 

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We see in John 20:19-29 the reason why many people still know the disciple named Thomas as "Doubting Thomas." Thomas refuses to believe until he sees Jesus with his own eyes and touches his nail and spear wounds. There is much more to say about this passage, but lets turn to Caravaggio's take. Caravaggio's style forces you into the midst of the painting - many times in a way you don't want. Assuming that Thomas took Jesus up on his offer to touch his side and his nail wounds, Caravaggio paints Thomas about an inch deep into Jesus' spear wound. Importantly though, notice that the only movement in the painting is by Jesus. Thomas seems worried, shocked, and a bit overwhelmed (notice his forehead), as are the other disciples. Jesus on the other hand is calm, collected, and is grasping Thomas' hand to guide it into the wound and using his other hand to pull his garment out of the way. 

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I am starting a new blog series using artwork to help us interpret the Bible. In other words, I am using certain artists as fellow interpreters of scripture to help us think through what we may learn from these artists. This series is based on an adult Sunday School series I am teaching with Chris Webb, and I will post each piece of artwork here with some reflections after we talk about them each Sunday. If you want to follow along, you can check out the paintings and the Bible passages we are using here. We are working through Gospel stories backwards as a countdown to Christmas.

This piece is a word-cut by Durer, and was made in the 16th century. We had a great discussion about this in class, and I wanted to highlight some of our thoughts here. First, it should be noted, that this work is tiny. It is, if I recall correctly, 5 x 8 inches, and as a wood cut it would have been carved backwards and in negative (he would have carved out where he wanted the white). It is pretty amazing. There is a lot of detail as well for something that small.

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Wow.  It seems like everyone these days has an opinion on Christina Aguilera and her now infamous rendition of the National Anthem. Radio talk jocks and internet bloggers, patriots and politicos, grandpas and pre-teens, professional athletes and armchair quarterbacks—there is no lack of spin coming from all directions.

Now, if you're looking for a blog slamming Aguilera for her performance, this ain't it.  It is true that I am neither a fan of pop divas (except maybe for Aretha Franklin), nor of the lifestyles they seemingly represent. I do know that Aguilera is an extremely talented vocalist (her performance on Herbie Hancock's album, Possibilities, still knocks my socks off).  But if you know me or read my blog, you know that I will occasionally rant against culture but purposefully not rant against people.

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I love museums and I love standing before the beauty of a vibrant canvas. I particularly like art which oozes theology in whatever format the artist has chosen. But before I get off topic, I would like to hear people's thoughts about Google's new project - Google Art.

In short, with Google Art Project you can tour museums most people would never have the chance of visiting. You can get close to the paintings without having to elbow your way through the crowds. You can stand before the Mona Lisa without making the opening-minute-sprint through the Louvre only to exclaim with everyone else, "I thought it would be bigger." 

My question for us is this - is it worth it? As I zoom around the Uffizi Gallery in Florence (from my desk chair), I can see things but I am not really able to experience them. I can see Caravaggio's "Sacrifice of Isaac," but I am not really confronted with it. I gaze upon it but I am not left in awe of it. Is this simply a good use of a limited medium, or a misuse of a medium that claims to achieve too much? Have we fallen under T.S. Eliot's indictment that we have: 

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One of the best things about Christmas—and this is just my personal opinion—is being able to play the music of Vince Guaraldi.  For those who don’t know, Guaraldi is the iconic jazz pianist and composer whose work flavors “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”  In fact, the music is so integral to the story that one cannot hear his music without thinking of Snoopy dancing his weird little happy dance.

Over the month of December, I’ve been sneaking in different Guaraldi interpretations into every gig—at a solo piano restaurant gig, the corporate Christmas party I gigged last week with my trio, the recent TV appearance I did with Bob Kilpatrick, and even Christmas Eve services at my church.  I love the quirky chord changes and sparse voicings and joyous feel to the music.  And I also love how children’s faces light up when I begin the “Linus and Lucy” theme.  His music has been covered by several notable artists, including George Winston, David Benoit, and my friend and jazz recording artist, Jim Martinez.

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Street punk and artist, Banksy's rise to fame continues with the superbly funny documentary, Exit Through the Gift Shop.

Debate continues concerning the authenticity of the documentary and many believe the movie and resulting fame of the artist Mr. Brainwash are an elaborate performance art piece, though by this point we are all wondering if life is anything other than a long performance art piece with an end we all avoid.

The most fascinating component of the film is the progressive transformation of the main character from film taker (not maker) to art star persona Mr. Brainwash. It is a wonderful and playful study on how we as people absorb and create identity; and why your mother warns you to not hang out with certain people.

Best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell wrote a book a few years ago called, Outliers: The Story of Success, which is, in his words, about “men and women who, for one reason or another, are so accomplished and so extraordinary and so outside of ordinary experience that they are as puzzling to the rest of us as a cold day in August.”  In the book, he looks at a wide variety of people and occupations, from airline pilots to entrepreneurs to hockey players to software engineers, and identifies and examines the attributes of success.  Beyond talent and intelligence and ability, many of the characteristics of success include things largely outside of our control, things like “culture and community and family and generation.”

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I mentioned in a previous blog about the pursuit of fame and fortune that drove me in my younger days.  In what I now refer to as “my rock and roll dream,” the long-term plan was to work as an engineer by day and a musician by night, writing and recording my material while getting exposure and experience in the local club scene.  It would only be a matter of time until I would record the killer demo, move down to LA, recruit some monster musicians, and launch my career.  From there, it would simply be a short limo trip to fame and fortune.

Of course, that didn’t happen, for a lot of reasons—talent, marketability, maturity, circumstance, and the Small Still Voice that invited me into a better way of life.

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