Glimpses into the Mind of Marco Rupnik's - His Art and Theology
Extracts from a 2015 Interview
"The theologian Pavel Florenskij used to say: “Truth revealed is the Love and Love achieved is Beauty”. That’s it, the artist is attracted by Beauty, which is Love achieved, that is Easter. He can have by grace the humility to let the Mystery fertilize him. Those who work with this Mystery can’t do other than welcome it, give it space in their lives and let it go to work.
"[Qualities necessary] .. humility, but not understood in the psychological sense, that is as an attitude to adopt, as if it were the fruit of one’s own intelligence or diligence. Humility is the gift of the Holy Spirit, that bloweth where it listeth and may grip non-Christian artists also. It is a matter precisely of theological humility. The more mature the artist is in the knowledge of receiving this gift the more he will be dispossessed of his work and its production will not be the sphere of his self-affirmation, but of his humble service. Only in that way can the work be handed over to the many and the many will recognize themselves in it. With art it’s like with love: one demands humility and action. The more humble one is the more one is veined with love. The more one involves oneself personally the more one is universal.
"One needs to be very familiar with the Word of God – because, as Nicene II says, art is a translation of the Word of God – and with the memory of the Church: the Fathers, the saints, Christian art. One also needs to be inward with the debate of the century in which one lives, that is to be familiar with the contemporary artistic idiom, and to be inserted in the life of the Church. One must have a spiritual life, live the same difficulties as our contemporaries so as to be able to share with them the steps in the redemption bestowed to us. For us at the Aletti Center, working in chorus is fundamental. Working together, constantly engaging in mutual charity and fruitful dialogue. Out of the Church one creates for the Church.
One needs to be very familiar with the Word of God – because, as Nicene II says, art is a translation of the Word of God – and with the memory of the Church: the Fathers, the saints, Christian art. One also needs to be inward with the debate of the century in which one lives, that is to be familiar with the contemporary artistic idiom, and to be inserted in the life of the Church. One must have a spiritual life, live the same difficulties as our contemporaries so as to be able to share with them the steps in the redemption bestowed to us. For us at the Aletti Center, working in chorus is fundamental. Working together, constantly engaging in mutual charity and fruitful dialogue. Out of the Church one creates for the Church."
[Happy Jack suggests the penultimate sentence should have been explored further]
"The logo and the motto together provide a fitting summary of what the Jubilee Year is all about. The motto Merciful Like the Father (taken from the Gospel of Luke, 6:36) serves as an invitation to follow the merciful example of the Father who asks us not to judge or condemn but to forgive and to give love and forgiveness without measure (cfr. Lk 6:37-38).
The logo – the
work of Jesuit Father Marko I. Rupnik – presents a small summa theologiae of the theme of mercy.
In fact, it represents an image quite important to the early Church: that of
the Son having taken upon his shoulders the lost soul demonstrating that it is
the love of Christ that brings to completion the mystery of his incarnation
culminating in redemption. The logo has been designed in such a way so as to
express the profound way in which the Good Shepherd touches the flesh of
humanity and does so with a love with the power to change one’s life. One
particular feature worthy of note is that while the Good Shepherd, in his great
mercy, takes humanity upon himself, his eyes are merged with those of man.
Christ sees with the eyes of Adam, and Adam with the eyes of Christ. Every
person discovers in Christ, the new Adam, one’s own humanity and the future
that lies ahead, contemplating, in his gaze, the love of the Father.
The scene
is captured within the so called mandorla (the
shape of an almond), a figure quite important in early and medieval
iconography, for it calls to mind the two natures of Christ, divine and human.
The three concentric ovals, with colors progressively lighter as we move
outward, suggest the movement of Christ who carries humanity out of the night
of sin and death. Conversely, the depth of the darker color suggests the
impenetrability of the love of the Father who forgives all."
I'm not a huge fan of the shared eye; it feels a little too much like trying to lever symbolism into an image that already has enough ancient symbolism of its own. It also suggests to me that God and man can only ever have partial insight into one another.
ReplyDeleteFor comparison, here are some traditional, and modern, icons of the Good Shepherd being discussed by an Orthodox iconographer. This history is interesting:
The image of the Good Shepherd is hardly new: it was a pagan image. Known as criophoros, a man carrying a sheep on his shoulders was the pagan symbol for the virtue of philanthropy. It was connected with Hermes, the Messenger God of the ancient Greek pantheon. Through the process of adoption, adaptation, and taking “whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is anything of excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8), the image was baptized by the church and “became an obvious symbol for Christ the Good Shepherd. This figure may even have been used for direct representation of Christ, as in the mid-fifth century Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, where a criophoros is shown with halo and cross, surrounded by sheep”. Even earlier examples are seen in the catacomb paintings from the third century. Today, especially in Greece, Christ is frequently represented as the Good Shepherd.
on your second point, isn't that what Rupnik means when he says: "Humility is the gift of the Holy Spirit, that bloweth where it listeth and may grip non-Christian artists also", and "art is a translation of the Word of God."
ReplyDeleteAs for the first point, HJ sees some merit in "his eyes are merged with those of man." It was Oscar Romero who said: “There are many things that can only be seen through eyes that have cried.” We know from scripture that Jesus wept.
Even as a pretentious artist, I find that statement awfully pretentious! Actually, on rereading it, that passage on humility sounds decidedly unhumble.
DeleteHumility (and I swear if my iPad changes that to humidity again, it's going out the window), from an Orthodox iconographic perspective, is to follow tradition and humble oneself to what has gone before. Icons are a conduit for prayer; it's irrelevant who paints/writes it (most icons are anonymous) and one shouldn't add one's own individual 'twist' to the language of the piece - note the iconographer's struggle with the commissioned modernised icon in the linked piece, which he produced only after prayer and consultation with a bishop. In secular art, on the other hand, the identity of the artist is expressed through the work; the joined eyes show me Rupnik, not God.
St. Arsenius is said to have had no eyelashes because of his constant weeping. But the logo doesn't show weeping. Romero's statement is true of man, but not of God; Jesus' sorrow over Lazarus didn't introduce new experience to the godhead. There is some process theology lurking in the background of this portrayal, I think.
The shared eye is problematic to me, as well. It could be read as the artist thinking he's seeing through God's eye.
ReplyDeleteI’d put the three eye trick on a lower level than that. My guess is it was an idea that occurred to him one day, he liked the look of it, and turned it into a gimmick and a kind of personal trademark, in the confidence that, once he had done it often enough, other painters and illustrators would take care not to copy his idea because it would look too much like plagiarism or breach of copyright.
DeleteGetting a bit cynical there, Ray.
DeleteHere's the thing with art. One, the artist him/herself may not be conscious of what they're painting, writing, composing, expressing, etc. And two, people viewing, reading, listening, before they or 'experts' 'analyse' it, may experience what's in their own hearts, not necessarily what the artist is expressing or attempting to express.
I wonder if anybody thought that Rembrandt's The Return of the Prodigal Son was a gimmick. If your way of expressing what you're trying to express becomes the focal point, I think you need to reassess. In sacred art, anyway.
DeleteWhoever was his spiritual Father in the Jesuits appears to have discounted the possibility that his art reflected an underlying mental and spiritual struggle taking place. Who knows?
DeleteIf you don't have a mental and spiritual struggle taking place, can you even call yourself an artist?
DeleteOr a Christian, for that matter.
Agreed, but that's why Jesuits have spiritual guides to help them. As Jack said in one of his comments, the closer we get to God, the more we are subject to demonic oppression,
DeleteIt just seems like an odd thing for a spiritual father to say. Except for mine, obviously, who said that his work is done since one can't improve on perfection, moved to Mount Athos and disconnected his email.
DeletePart of Ignatian spirituality is getting close to the person one is accompanying. Jack would have thought a spiritual father would be attuned to the particular struggles of those he's assisting. The mind and soul are not separate. These allegations date back 30 years,
DeleteAre you Greek Orthodox? Mount Athos? Wise man. One of the few places left on earth where a chap can be free from women.
As any spiritual father should. Yes, one wonders what was going on there - Rupnik's proclivities is one issue, but the fact that nobody picked up on them (or acted on them if they did) is another - perhaps with more serious and wider reaching implications, as Bell mentions.
DeleteI'm a member of an autocephalous Greek Orthodox Church, yes. The Russians are just too dour for me! I'm sure that they could arrange a little cave for Jack on Mount Athos if he so wished (but then you'd miss out on my sparking wit and insights).
Cynical, I don't think so, but sceptical, yes, definitely.
ReplyDeleteBell's article yesterday presumed so much knowledge, I hardly knew what he was talking about. One could piece the story together from context, but tbh I had never heard of this man before yesterday. A little post-reading research helped. This interview doesn't do much to illuminate. I would read what he said and all I could think was "word salad". It came across to me as a man trying very hard to sound like an intellectual. After a couple of sentences, I had to fight the urge to scroll down and pass on to the next answer.
ReplyDeleteI saw in this first impression a man attempting to bend God into his own image by using vast amount so of religion-speak. Not much reason to look further.
The Vatican and Jesuits response, or alleged lack of response, to this man's crime is big news in the Catholic blogosphere. One reason is those opposed to Pope Francis and the Jesuits see the lack of action as proof of a modernist assault on the Church. It has to be said, someone, somewhere made a huge error of judgement but this won't become clear until until the inquiry is concluded.
ReplyDeleteAs for Rupnik's comments on his art ... well, you're an American. What can one expect?
One way of looking at his words is that he was a con-man using flowery language to create an aura of mystique about himself to facilitate his seduction and abuse of young nuns. Another way, is that he just 'lost it' spiritually and mentally.
I might argue that it kind of IS proof of the modernist assault on the Church. We act, after all, in response to the stimuli that motivate us. Clearly, the actions of Rupnik did not motivate either the Jesuits or the Vatican. I find that disturbing.
Delete@Jack it's also possible that someone has a spiritual gift in one area of their lives and is deeply flawed in others and holds those back from God. One can glorify God through one's art or preaching or music or whatever, but constantly fall in matters of chastity. We are all strong in some areas and weak in others.
DeleteI think it's easier to believe that Rupnik was a bad egg through and through because then he's someone who can't possibly be like us. But the line between good and evil runs through every human heart, and temptation remains with us all until the end of our earthly days.
Oh, Jack agrees. Hence his last sentence.
DeleteEarly last year Sandro Magister’s blog carried the full text of an anonymous memorandum said to be circulating from hand to hand among the College of Cardinals. The memorandum was highly critical of Pope Francis. It began with the words, “Commentators … agree that this pontificate is a disaster in many or most respects; a catastrophe.”
ReplyDeleteFollowing the death of Cardinal George Pell on Tuesday, Magister has now disclosed that Pell himself was the author of the memorandum. The full text can be read on Magister’s Settimo Cielo blog site (link below). Here are a few snippets:
The raid by the Vatican Gendarmeria, led by Dr. Giani in 2017 on the auditor’s (Libero Milone) office on Italian territory was probably illegal and certainly intimidating and violent. It is possible that evidence against Milone was fabricated.
The Vatican is facing a large deficit in the Pensions Fund. Around 2014 the experts from COSEA estimated the deficit would be around € 800 million in 2030. This was before COVID.
Despite the Holy Father’s recent decision, the process of investing has not been centralized (as recommended by COSEA in 2014 and attempted by the Secretariat for the Economy in 2015-16) and remains immune to expert advice. For decades, the Vatican has dealt with disreputable financiers avoided by all respectable bankers in Italy.
http://magister.blogautore.espresso.repubblica.it/2022/03/15/a-memorandum-on-the-next-conclave-is-circulating-among-the-cardinals-here-it-is/
Looks like I'm not the only one with his knife out for the Jesuits. I don't know how much validity this document holds, if it's real or if it's one of the Vatican's little games to flush out the "rigid" hierarchs. However, if it WERE real, and I had a vote in conclave, it would go to the author.
Delete