... Listen to Him!

Description

This is my depiction of a supernatural account portrayed in Scripture and referred to as the transfiguration of Christ. The accounts of this event are recorded in two of the Gospels: Matthew 17:1-11 and Luke 9:28-34. Each account gives us some similar details of the event, but each also presents details that the other does not. This creates a challenge to an artist trying to faithfully portray this event. As a result, an artist needs to discern and even exercise artistic license as he/she picks and chooses which details to include. It is amazing that a passage, that initially seems simple and obvious in the mind of a reader, can be much more challenging to bring to visual form than one may assume. For example, Matthew describes Jesus’ face as having “shone like the sun,” while Luke states that the “appearance of his face changed.” Luke describes Jesus’ clothes as becoming as “bright as a flash of lightning,” while Matthew states that they became “white as light.” Is the light described in this way, because it was blinding or because it was such a contrast to the surroundings that it gave that impression? Matthew tells us that Moses and Elijah appeared, but Luke goes further and adds “in glorious splendor” to his description. “Glorious splendor” is indeed a subjective phrase! Matthew describes Peter, James, and John as speaking up while Luke adds details that they were sleepy and then awoke and Peter did the speaking. Did this take place in the day or during the night? The Scripture does not say. It is also unclear as to the amount of time it took for all this to happen. Was it a quick chronology or somewhat longer? Perhaps the most important part of this supernatural event is when a cloud appears and covers them and then God speaks admonishing the Disciples to listen to Jesus! This story has often historically been depicted, in art, at the moment the cloud envelops the figures, and God tells them to listen to his son. I choose to depict the event moments before the cloud appears and God speaks. Thus the “…” in the title refers to the portion of the story I have depicted, and the “Listen to Him” portion of the story requires the viewer to continue engagement with my piece and visualize the completion of the story. Matthew informs us that there was further theological discussion that followed which I have chosen to not depict. I have portrayed Christ as unnaturally light in value, contrasting him with the darkness that surrounds him. Jesus is the source of the light which illuminates all that is around him. I chose to depict this scene as taking place at night, allowing me opportunity to create dynamic contrasts of light and dark, heightening the supernaturalness of the event.