Galleries
I've seen artist Andy Newman's work locally and am pleased to have one of his paintings and a print of another on my office wall. I offer you here some of his works and a paragraph from the guide booklet for an exhibit of his paintings a few years ago (which I didn't see) at Arte Periferica Galleria in Lisbon. I find his words here to be solid, nourishing food for thought in Lent...
Image by Andy Newman
In the paintings of this exhibition, I have sought to explore the contrasts between darkness and light, and to search for the light in darkness that is shadow. Shadow is a place of relativity, in which it is not clear where the light ends and the darkness begins. So, in some paintings, while it is day, patches of absolute darkness apparently exist; in others it is night yet light abounds.
-Andy Newman
Image by Andy Newman
Shadows are tricksters: they play games on us and sometimes frighten us. But what hides in the shadows is revealed in the sunlight and often the light itself is enough to dispel our fear and draw us back into the embrace of warm light and an afternoon's nap. Light abounds in the night as well as the day: moon light, star light and simply the light I bring to the darkness as my eyes befriend and become accustomed to it.
Where is the darkness in the daytime of my soul? Where is the light in the dreams of my dark hours? If the Lord is my light, what fear have I of the dark? Indeed, even if I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil for the Lord is at my side...
In Lent, the light and darkness of seasons' change play with my days and its shadows. Help me, Lord, to "search for the light in darkness that is shadow..." Guide me, Lord, to the light you are, the light no darkness can extinguish...
Lent2010
I like the parallel between light and dark in the paintings and in our lives/souls!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this!
ReplyDeleteIt is hard not to judge the darkness, but to see it as a necessary part of my growth, all the while trusting the light of God is always there.
These are desert days, and uncomfortable because until now i had not had the courage to sit with the tension until i see what God is trying to teach me.
Thank you for so many of your post, God does use you and i am a grateful receiver of the gift, over and over again!
Blessings!
Anne
These are fabulous paintings and I can see why you would want them in your office. Thanks for putting them here.
ReplyDeleteI am right there with you on this phrase right now.....
"In Lent, the light and darkness of seasons' change, play with my days and its shadows." I am thinking how absolutely perfect the timing of Lent is in the cycle of the seasons as well as our emotions...( well, here in the island of the UK and Ireland at any rate as we are buffeted by the February storms and rains or snow if you live in Scotland- hence why most of us are considered a melancholy race !! I don't think I could do Lent in the summer !
There has to be darkness so that the contrasting light of Easter really does shine through and you have given a perfect metaphor for the internal soul and heart changes we need to work on to get us there.
Great post Fr. Austin. If you keep up this high standard of writing you will leave the rest of us bloggers in the dark ( excuse the pun, couldn't help myself.)
Godbless
Phil (at Blue Eyed Ennis Blog)