Throughout art history, Christian images have abounded and morphed, as they relate to the era and culture of the artists creating the works. It is extremely difficult, if not practically impossible, to portray the essence of Christ through a visual, tangible image. In fact, we are commanded in Scripture not to do so, for our human senses could never, despite all intents and purposes, do Him the justice He deserves.
From Hildegard's depiction of the Trinity and the Cosmic Egg, to Islamic calligraphy in its image of the Word, to Rothko's abstract choices of color and shape, it is a struggle to settle on any form of tangible, visual iconography of Christ. Even in Scripture, God is described metaphorically, mystically, and only appears through the Spirit working on earth, and through the miraculous manifestation of Christ as the Son. Each of the metaphorical concepts of God are unimaginably meaningful in and of themselves, but cannot completely encompass the essence of Christ as His holiness should deserve.
After reflecting upon the wide range of Christian imagery, the concept of capturing an image of God became overwhelming for me. I knew that in order to be satisfied with even my slightest attempt, the image would have to be a metaphorical, intangible representation of what I know to be "God." Amidst my struggle to relate to an historical work of Christian art, the two images I responded to the most, the Hagia Sophia and the piece by Harry Callahan, were those that were illuminated by reverent light. As I stared at these photos, it felt as though this "light" was shining on me, and I immediately felt the Spirit moving within me.
In my attempt to capture an image of God, I knew that this "light" would be my inspiration. In my first photo, the "light" is purely glowing in the reflection of a window through which I was admiring a breathtaking sunset. It was in this sunset that I was awestruck by the awesome beauty of His creation, and the palpable presence of His holiness within this reflected image of His creation. This reflection served as a reminder that God is not limited by multi-dimensions or light refraction or mirrored distortion or color illusions. God is purely and palpably present in our experience of those illuminated images, and as we admire them as His precious creation, we feel closer to envisioning Him, as He is Himself.
He is indeed a light unto the world, a light which shines in darkness, and a light unto our path. He lights the way before us so that we may see.
It is with this glorious brightness within me that in childlike faith I will praise and sing,"This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine!"
No comments:
Post a Comment