Friday, April 2, 2010

The Day Christ Died



Artist: Maurice Ryder
Media: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 4.9 X 3.10 ft
Dated: Good Friday, 6th April, 2007
(Completed after a series of studies between 2001 & 2007.)
Historically and Geographically correct

(Detail from The Day Christ Died)
The centerpiece of the painting is an outline map of Old Jerusalem in the time of Jesus Christ. The outline of the city-wall is interspaced with ‘thorns’; wild thorn bushes that grew on the city wall. A crown, made of these thorns, was crushed onto Jesus’ head by his tormentors, signifying, in mockery, that he was a King.

(Detail from The Day Christ Died)
The yellow lines are the points of the compass, true North, South, East and West. The cardinal North is marked with a capital ‘N’.
Landmarks on “The Day Christ Died”.
Seen are: Pilate’s Fort Antonio, Herod’s Palace, Caiaphas’s house with the cock-bird, Last Supper table, the Palm Sunday procession, Solomon’s Temple, Gethsemane and the Mt. of Olives, The Way of the Cross or the Fourteen Stations of the Cross, Golgotha, The Cross, The Pieta, the Burial Tomb.
Highlighting the Details

“Hosanna to the son of David!
Hosanna in the highest!”
Matthew 21: 9
(Detail from The Day Christ Died)
To mark the beginning of Passion Week, a reminder of Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, a crowd bearing palm branches comes down the center and turns to our left.

The Last Supper
(Detail from The Day Christ Died)
A little below is the Last Supper. All seated at the table have halos except for the standing figure, Judas, who is leaving for the betrayal.

(Detail from The Day Christ Died)
Jesus is represented by the white square at Gethsemane near the Mt. of Olives. The red drops of blood mark the place where Christ prayed while his disciples slept.
The black “U” embracing the white square represents Judas; his arms around the Lord as he betrays Him with a kiss.
Geometrically the Square is the Perfect Figure; all sides equal, all angles ‘right’. It is used here to represent Jesus’ perfectness.

(Detail from The Day Christ Died)
Jesus is arrested here and taken in the dead of night by the path shown, through the South Gate, to the High Priest’s house. Note the Cock which crows when Peter denies Christ for the third time.

Roman Governor Pontius Pilate’s house.
(Detail from The Day Christ Died)
From thence He is taken to Pilate who sends Him to King Herod.

(Detail from The Day Christ Died)
After the mocking, Herod returns Jesus to Pilate on the paths shown.
The Sentence is pronounced, Jesus is given his cross, and the ‘Way of the Cross’ begins.

The Stations of the Cross or The Way of the Cross.
(Detail from The Day Christ Died)
The 14 stations are marked with vertical, upright, straight lines, which signify an upright Christ falsely condemned, going to his execution.

Golgotha: the Place of a Skull.
(Detail from The Day Christ Died)
Golgotha is marked with a skull at the foot of the Cross.

The Cross, Pieta & the Tomb Stone
(Detail from The Day Christ Died)
The Cross is clear with a white beam of light ascending on it, head to foot, from Heaven.

(Detail from The Day Christ Died)
Another two ‘stations’ and Jesus is laid to rest behind the huge round stone which will be rolled away on Easter morning!

(Detail from The Day Christ Died)
The ‘streaks’ across the Temple denote that the curtain in the temple was rent in two.



(Detail from The Day Christ Died)
Finally, the red rectangles in the North East and South West corners represent an angry crowed (the worm like strokes) which cried “Crucify Him”.
If we ‘zoom’ out of the picture the red areas would eventually envelop the whole scene—This part of the painting signifies Christ crucified today where we all join in to crucify Him again!

Amen.

Artist with the Bishop of Delhi and the Parish Priest.
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