This painting is about freedom of conscience. The right of an individual to believe and conversely the right of an individual not to believe in another's doctrinal beliefs. The mood is clandestine and the drastic portrayal of deference to a divinity reflects perhaps the urgency and desperation of the worship. Even the dishes held in the upper tier of the dresser seem also to bow forward in reverence. The use of light is significant, there is not a single face that is not illuminated by the candlelight, and the perhaps the artist wants us to feel something of the divine can be found in the humble yet consecrated surroundings.
Imagine the risks involved. The priest's disguise, his fine coat and top hat on the chair betray a dilemma. How difficult was the priest's struggle between wanting to be "a man of the cloth" and then the moment he steps outside the cabin the priest having to go about incognito. The painting is also the celebration of the human spirit, the defiance, taking of risks, that test of character to be faithful to what one believes in. For the most part we enjoy such basic freedoms...but this painting should remind us that those freedoms are fragile. Where ultimate power, control and weaponry are wielded for an evil purpose such freedoms can be crushed as easily as egg-shells
Ultimately, does not this painting demonstrate the core human principle? That each individual must new true to themselves, whatever that is.
No comments:
Post a Comment