New Beginnings
Lessons of a year lived precariously
Piero della Francesca painted Jesus as a resolute figure about to embark on his evangelical mission.
The baptism of Christ is thus described in the Gospel according to Matthew:
- In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,
"The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
Prepare the way of the Lord,
Make his path straight."
Now John wore a garment of camel's hair, and a leather girdle around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.
Then went out to him Jerusalem and all Judea and all of the region about Jordan, and they were baptised by him in the
river Jordan, confessing their sins.
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers!
Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit that befits repentence, and do not presume to say to yourselves,
'We have Abraham as our father'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now
the axe is laid to the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
"I baptise you with water for repentence, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry;
he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather
his wheat into the granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptised by him. John
would have prevented him saying, "I need to be baptised by you and so you come to me?"
But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness."
Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptised, he went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened and
he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on him; and lo a voice from heaven saying, "This is my beloved Son,
and with whom I am well pleased."
If one
looks attentively one can detect the
Pharisees and Sadducees walking away in a huff behind the man taking off his shirt. The act of undressing
is symbolic of the need to shed the sins the past before receiving the purification of the Baptismal water.
The receding figures provide a brilliant splash of red as the resplendent garments of the Pharisees and Sadducees are
reflected in the water. This could be read as a forboding of Christ's eventual sacrifice but also as a prophetic sign
that his blood will mix with water to redeem our souls and nourish our spirits.
Piero's style of presentation however does not insist that we necessarily understand all this. There is
a certain dryness with which events are presented merely as facts. The painting patiently awaits our own interpretations.
Note the contrast of
the two trees. The tree placed behind has a shadowy grey trunk while the tree in front has a bright white one. What might
this signify?
It would appear that beauty is never insistent. It is secure and does not crave attention. It receives
attention through its own virtues. It may not be fashionable to consider moral aspects in art appreciation,
since art and religion are believed to have separated but this does not change the reality of what people have always craved in
art, theatre and architecture. The Greek theatre in Siracusa plainly offers an answer. In an amphitheatre, every participant
is able to keep his body in perfect alignment with the action (that is without having
to crook one's neck). The theatre is the mirror of our desires and fears. To appreciate this fully we must concentrate.
Sophrosyne or the Greek concept of balance and grace requires
a relaxed centred composure from the audience as well as the players. The circular architecture of the Greek theatre allows this
to happen.
During a particularly difficult moment last year, a desperate wish to not cave in under pressure made me appreciate anew the meaning of the acanthus leaves (the legend of the corinthian order alluding to their coming through despite being crushed under the weight of a heavy stone-slab) and the scrolls that sit under the abacus in the corinthian, ionic and composite orders.
Examine our new cover image again. Isn't the view just a
marvel? At HAR we will always be in awe of how such gorgeous things actually got to be made. Invariably they would
have begun their lives in a drawing of some kind. In wanting to extend our horizons beyond the theoretical,
HAR is promoting the formation of the Rome Drawing Academy.
RDA is looking for participants for its inaugural summer program in 2006. Please click RDA for further information.
Recommended reading for this issue is the article "In Defense of Paper Architecture" by David Mayernik. Aelred Spencer is a ceramic artist and photographer. His keen eye observes
some well known structures in his adopted home, Rome. His photos are a welcome addition to our gallery section.
Thanks again to our small but growing number of readers for continuing to visit our humble Internet offering.
Taeho Paik - HAR Co-Editor
