Art/ Heritage

TO JESUS THROUGH JOHN: ‘St. John the Baptist’ by Leonardo Da Vinci (1513 – 1516)

‘Where the Spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art’ – Da Vinci

Born in 1452, Leonardo da Vinci (literally of Vinci, a region near Florence, Italy) had an uninhibited search for knowledge. A multifaceted genius and a blue-sky thinker, his interest in architecture, engineering, sculpting, mathematics, science, anatomy, biology, astronomy etc won him the epithet ‘The Renaissance Man’. His absolute thirst for unending knowledge and his infinite ‘why’s’ produced several substantial cross-disciplinary connections that unravelled the science of art and the art of science. Till date, most of his works continue to stir controversies, theories, feuds and fantasies.

One such masterpiece was executed by this creative genius during the final years of his life (1513 – 1516) which also coincided with the metamorphosis of the High Renaissance into Mannerism. Considered to be an exclusive ‘Leonardesque’, the ‘Saint John the Baptist’, reflects Da Vinci’s profound progress in thought and steady stride in skill. An oil painting on walnut wood, the ‘St. John the Baptist’ is currently housed in the Musée du Louvre in Paris, France. 

The work depicts the Baptist in solitude as he appears to advance out of the deep shadows that surround him. The reed cross held to his chest and the animal pelts that partially cover his illuminated body iconographically indicate to the Precursor of Christ and the Patron Saint of Florence. His right hand and his forefinger is upraised, hailing to the heavens, a gesture that professes his mission on earth to preach penitence and thus ‘prepare the way’ for the coming of the Messiah.

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Opinion

Angels among us – Bringing smiles to Brides

You don’t have to be the leader of the free world to make a difference to the lives of others; in fact I dare say he (Donald Trump) makes a mess. The truth is that each of us have wings that we have not learnt to spread and when we do, we make a difference, one person at a time.

Kanchan Hatyal is one such angel in the city of Mumbai and an active parishioner of St Jude Church, Malad East. She lives with her husband and two children in an apartment no larger than five hundred square feet.  Space in the city of Mumbai is a luxury and every inch matters. Yet Kanchan has cleared an entire closet in her tiny bedroom to make space for wedding gowns that brides in need can borrow.

While every bride dreams of the perfect bridal dress, the reality is that many just can’t afford one. Kanchan loans these gowns to Catholic brides and in return she asks that a mass be offered for the donor of the gown and that the gown be laundered and returned so that it can be used by someone else.

She now has a modest collection of seven gowns but hopes that those who have tucked their gowns away at the back of the closet would donate it to this wonderful cause before age yellows those fairy tale dresses.

If you wish to donate your wedding or communion gowns or if you are in need a gown, please contact Kanchan Haryal on 8108001591. Granted that you might be sentimentally attached to your wedding gown but it has greater value when worn by someone rather than tucked at the back of your wardrobe. Truth be told, in time, these dresses that we cling to will be going, going…gown!

Be an angel and do the right thing this year, bring a smile to another bride.

Fr Warner D’souza

NB: Be an angel and share this article. Kanchan can be contacted via whatsapp on 8108001591

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Art/ Heritage

UNFINISHED: The Baptism of Christ by Jacopo Bassano (Jacopo da Ponte) Italian (ca. 1590)

Within the galaxy of the great Venetian artists, perhaps one of the least known and barely appreciated is Jacopo Bassano – the author of some of the most astonishing arts of the sixteenth century Renaissance. Also known as Jacopo dal Ponte, he was born in 1510 (ca.) in a quaint Italian village called Bassano near Venice. Influenced by the other Venetian veterans including Lorenzo Lotto, Titian, Tintoretto and Paolo Veronese, Bassano’s brush with punctilious precision came to combine the natural beauty of the ordinary with the extraordinary play of light that overshadowed gracefully choreographed figures within a well-understood native narrative.

His innovative mind and tender heart resonates through today’s painting titled ‘The Baptism of Christ’. Bassano executed this work at the ripe old age of eighty years. When he passed away in 1592, this composition remained ‘unfinished’ or ‘non-finito’, spelling out a story that defies the viewer’s expectation while encouraging introspection. It invites the observer to complete what is lacking in the established form of ‘finished’ through interpretation.

Unlike popular depictions, Bassano’s ‘Baptism of Christ’ presents no brilliant sunshine, nor the open heavens or the cheery celebration of the commencement of Christ public ministry. Rather we encounter deep shrilling darkness filled with mystery and premonition. As a new dawn breaks upon the periphery of the canvas, we are drawn to the touch of white that descends down the unending heavens in the form of a dove.

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Opinion

Two Popes – more than just a puff of white smoke!

This is just a brilliant movie on Netflix and honestly my love for the Catholic Church aside, you would find it really hard to hate this film even if you were a Church critic. This one is a gem on the eve of Christmas and a perfect gift to yourself.

‘The Two Popes’ is a film that has inspiring dialogues that brim with witty one liners and warmth. The story is superbly told, wrapped in a theology that transcends religion. Starring two powerhouse actors, Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce the film is a sumptuous conversation between two colleagues, Pope Benedict XVI, formerly Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio who later became Pope Francis and their firm yet unusual friendship.

The story is obviously fictional but spun beautifully. While its framework has a historical core it can’t just be written off as merely a ‘good story’ because many of its dialogues have been taken from the Pontiffs themselves though with a lot of artistic license if not entirely out of context. One would never be privy to the confession of a layperson let alone a Pope or even more the workings of a conclave that elects a Pope. But one can’t deny the research woven into this movie which makes the whole movie believable and flow seamlessly.

It would be hard to tell if parts of the four major dialogues between Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis spanning seventy per cent of the film ever took place, but if one is an avid Vatican or Papal watcher, it would be very hard for one to be a disbelieve that some form of exchange on these matters never happened.  

To site an example, I myself was taken aback when the movie focuses on the first few moments after the election of Pope Francis. Courteously rejecting the mozetta and the papal pectoral cross, Pope Francis says to Guido Marini, “the days of carnival are over.” One would have thought these words were used by the script writer to cause some interest value to the dialogue. However, this very scenario and these very words were narrated to me by an American Cardinal who participated in the conclave that elected Pope Francis, when he visited Mumbai.

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Faith

Jesus the AUTHORity of life – Monday, third week of Advent – Matthew 21:23-27

The Gospel of today brings to a close the period of preparation for the second coming of the Lord. From tomorrow onwards the Gospels will usher in the story of the birth of Jesus. To bring the first period of Advent to a close, the Church chooses today’s Gospel as a last ditch effort for those who have still not taken up the initial message to repent and be ready; a message that John the Baptist proclaimed to herald the arrival of the Messiah.

John was singular in his calling; repentance was a pre-requisite in order to truly welcome the Kingdom of God that was be announced by Jesus the Messiah. Yet even though this prophet was widely accepted by the people (verse 26) his message, and by extension the acceptance of Jesus as the Messiah, was also rejected by the ‘religious authority’. (Verse 23)

Perhaps what was at play was a power struggle. The religious ‘authorities’ were unwilling to let go the stranglehold they held over religion and the people for 400 years. When the message of the Messiah was announced by John, they rejected it even though simpler folk recognised this message and welcomed Jesus the Messiah.

In response to Jesus’ question, “Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” their first response is in fact an admission of who John was, hence an ipso facto acceptance of Jesus as the Messiah. They said, “If we say his baptism was from heaven then he will say to us, why did you not believe him (John) and by extension why did you not accept me (Jesus)? Had the religious authorities truly believed that John was a fraud their response would have be the usual uproar but they were silent. Hence their answer was nothing short of damage control. They respond by saying. “We do not know.”

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