Sunset (Arkady Rylov, 1917)
Here is an appropriate piece for my last post of the day. Bill, how do you like Rylov’s palette? Betcha never seen anything quite like THIS before…
Sunday, 13 July 2008
Ivan Aivazovsky. The Passage of the Jews through the Red Sea. 1891
The Passage of the Jews through the Red Sea (Ivan Aivazovsky, 1891)
Now, here is a painting that does justice to the biblical story. This actually LOOKS like the sea. Pharaoh and his chariots are drowning in the sea, just as it says in the matins canon. Now, if we were to use this as an allegory… it doesn’t bode well for Herman and his minions, does it?
Nikolai Yaroshenko. Life is Everywhere. 1888
Life is Everywhere [Nikolai Yaroshenko, 1888]
This is a depiction of a trainload of convicted criminals on their way to Siberian exile. Since Russia was an Orthodox country, mercy was shown to the criminals. They were exiled to far places, to be sure, but, they were allowed to take their families with them. Often, the old babas would wait on the station sidings and give food and drink to the prisoners and their families. The prisoners were punished to be sure, but, they were not dehumanised, as the later prisoners in the GULag were. The Church taught everyone to show charity to prisoners and their families, and this was counted as an act of Christian mercy. Yes, life is everywhere… the prisoner’s child is the same as everyone else’s.
Aleksei Stepanov. Friendship. no date (early 1900s)
Friendship (Aleksei Stepanov, no date (early 1900s))
This is for dear Meg, a cyber-friend of mine I met at Jordanville in person today. Dear, I reach out to you and give you the kiss of friendship. It was wonderful to see you, and I hope that God gives us the chance to do so again.
Note well that this appears to be a friendship reaching over class barriers. Yes, it appears to be two genuine friends, one a noble, the other a peasant. Nevertheless, there is oneness of heart here. This was not uncommon in Orthodox Russia. It was not called Holy Russia for nothing. May we carry on these grand traditions here on a new shore.
Mikhail Nesterov. Evening Solitude on the Volga. 1932
Evening Solitude on the Volga (Mikhail Nesterov, 1932)
This is my favourite painting by Nesterov. I have no intention of telling you what to find in this work, everyone finds something different. That is the way of it with great art. I think that I prefer this to a woman with three breasts or a blue donkey… such is art? Well…
Mikhail Nesterov. A Portrait of Protodeacon M. K. Kholmogorov. 1914
A Portrait of M. K. Kholmogorov (Mikhail Nesterov, 1914)
The individual in this portrait was later used by Pavel Korin (1892-1967) as a subject for his masterpiece, A Farewell to Rus (1939). It should come as no surprise to learn that Pavel Korin was the pupil and disciple of Mikhail Nesterov, and Pavel Korin, in his turn passed on the artistic flame to a new generation.
Perhaps, this is a good time to lay rest a myth that is current in Catholic circles. There is no such thing as the “Eastern Church”. For that matter, the concept of the “Western Church” is just as loopy. The Orthodox Church is the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church spoken of in the Creed, and it has no lack or defect, as the lunatic construct of the “Eastern Church” declares. How can the Body of Christ be lacking? In any case, Romans lump us together with Uniates in this “Eastern Church”, and you should stop that. Uniates are nothing but Roman Catholics who use our ritual and formulae, and we have nothing in common with them.
The above is spoken eirenically. There is no hatred in it, I am merely stating what we believe. This way, misunderstandings are avoided, and mistakes shall not be made. Do NOT listen to certain liberal scholars, for they do not speak for the rest of us. I would not have you misled.
As Toad said to Frog, “May I still be your friend?”
Mikhail Nesterov. Serafima (A Woman with a Candle). 1911
Serafima (A Woman with a Candle) (Mikhail Nesterov, 1911)
I was searching for a painting that would be, as it were, the leitmotiv of this website. This work turns the trick, I believe. It illustrates abundantly that I am no one important, I am not one of the great of this world, in short, I have no influence whatsoever on the decisions of the powers-that-be, either secular or religious.
Nevertheless, like the Christophers, I refuse to curse the darkness and bemoan my inability to act, or talk such juvenile rot as “moving on” and “positive thinking”. I have lit my little candle, to illumine for you the works of genius of my Orthodox civilisation. Make no mistake, I did not create them, I am merely taking you by the hand to show you the masterpieces of our Russian Orthodox ethnos.
Above all, I have no wish to proselytise, for that would not only be nasty and unpleasant, it would be an affront to Almighty God (the Orthodox who are aping the worst aspects of Evangelical Protestantism do so, I am afraid).
Shall you stay awhile?
Mikhail Nesterov. A Wounded Soldier. 1915
A Wounded Soldier (Mikhail Nesterov, 1915)
This is a soldier of the tsarist army, wounded in World War I. I find this picture to be a wonderful allegory of our Church in America at present. It is wounded, it is weakened; oddly enough, by those claiming to be friends. However, one can see that the soldier is not despairing; he has not lost hope. Neither have we. People such as Alexander Schmemann thrust a bayonet into our vitals; yet, we still live on, and we are ready to fight again.
In fact, there is a deepening cleavage between we “ethnic” Orthodox and some recent converts (one need only look at the writings of Joseph Honeycutt and Frederica Matthewes-Greene to see the difference). We wish to “go home”, whereas they wish to “play at Church” and try to use the Church as their laboratory for their notional ideas. That sounds much like the Catholic lefties of the 60s (no mistake, for Schmemann was friendly with radical Catholics).
We are wounded, yes, but, we wish to rejoin our proper regiment and fight under our traditional banners. As for those who wish to do otherwise, I say, go, go in peace, and do not bother the Church. The rest of us are going home where we belong.
Mikhail Nesterov. The Annunciation. 1901
The Annunciation (Mikhail Nesterov 1901)
There are, indeed, many things that we Orthodox and those of the Latin confessions (for Protestants are nothing but the bastard children of Rome) share. However, this does not mean that we are interchangeable, nor does it mean that a union is likely any time in the near or far future. It simply means that there are things that we hold in common, that is all. In fact, if these common elements are missing, there is a strong argument against the Christianity of the group in question. Just because someone says, “Lord, Lord”, that does make them Christians. Do NOT forget that it is as easy to fall off the right-hand side of the pier as it is to fall over on the left edge.
However, that being said, civility is the watchword of the house. We may not share the chalice, for good and serious reason, as you do not believe as we do, but, that does not excuse beastly behaviour. Of course, the exception is Uniatism, as that is a weapon of the Roman Curia aimed at our hearts. We tend to be vehement on this subject. As for Latins, we wish you no ill, we acknowledge what is shared, but, it is not enough to share the chalice (people such as Neuhaus of First Things are deluded, and they need a bucket of ice-cold water dashed upon them to bring them to their senses).
Let there be peace amongst us.
