The Mrs and I were going through the usual motions on date night.
Annie: "what do you wanna do?"
Jed: "I don't know lets go eat somewhere"
A: "I"m not very hungry, besides I don't want to spend money on food" She never does, but I try anyway.
J: "lets go bowling or to a movie"
A: "I'm too tired, I'm not going to last" she has a hard time with late night activities, it can be difficult for me at times because I love the night.
J: "I want to be entertained" "lets do something"
A: "Isn't there an exhibit at BYU museum of art?"
J: "don't know lets check it out"
We drove to the museum and went in. Turns out that there is an exhibit of Carl Blochs works. I was really impressed with his paintings. He does some very interesting things compositionally, which I'll discuss later.
A little about Bloch... he lived in the 1800's and became a very well known religious painter from denmark. He is considered on of the master painters. He painted many depictions of christ, one of which is Christ healing the sick at bethesda. The Church of Jesus christ of latter day Saints (mormons) acquired this piece in 2001.
In this piece Christ is seen lifting a piece of cloth revealing a man who has come to bethesda to be healed. There are people surrounding him and there seems to be a lot going on in this tender moment. People in the background going about their day, while others are are trying to see what's happening. I found this piece to have a very interesting composition. Bloch decided to divide the frame directly down the middle. The pillar above the mans head is dividing the frame in half. Normally, when composing an image, we try and avoid such things. The reason being is that it causes the viewer to feel conflicted, not knowing as to which side to look. Bloch, however, paints Christ in white, meanwhile keeping the rest of the painting in more subdued tones. This brings our attention to him. Our eye will go to whatever is brightest in the frame. I think there is some symbology of this composition. Christ who is life or the "living water" is on one side while the supposedly "cleansing waters" of bethesda are on the other. Bloch not only divided the painting compositionally, he also divides it metaphorically.
To see this piece as well as the others was really inspiring. It is a very large painting (life size). there were many great paintings on exhibit. My favorite painting on exhibit was The Daughter of Jarius. I found this painting to be quite different from the others. He turned the emphasis away from christ and directed it toward the grieving mother. As a matter of fact christ is painted in the shadows, as if he has just arrived. The piece is full of emotion, I didn't feel so far removed from the subject matter. It could happen to anyone, losing a child. I suppose this why I felt a connection to this piece... it seemed very real.
If you haven't been yet to the exhibit, please go! it was a great experience, and it was free! If you are someone who appreciates the aesthetics of art, I would recommend not doing the Ipad tour. I felt that I spent more time looking at the Ipad than looking at the art.
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