Tuesday, November 10, 2009

AGNUS DEI BY FRANCISCO de ZURBARAN

This past Saturday I attended the special exhibit called “Sacred Spain” at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. This exhibit is free to the public through corporate sponsorship, and if you live near enough to go see it I encourage it.

The one picture that stood out to me above all the rest was “Agnus Dei” painted between 1636 and 1640 by Francisco de Zurbaran. It was a picture of a lamb.

He was on a dark slab. His legs were bound by a swath of cloth. He was just lying there. There was no struggle communicated through any muscle of his body. There was no look of anguish or bewilderment on his face. He had accepted his place.

Of all the pictures I saw of Jesus in that exhibition this is the one which really captured His heart.

The next day I spoke of seeing this painting in my morning message. It came to me that while we can be pressured by circumstances and feelings into doing things we don’t really want to do, nothing could pressure Jesus.

Think of that! There was no sin or abuse anyone could have done which would have made Jesus pack up and go home without accomplishing His mission.

I had to go through the exhibit a second time and stand before this painting again.

The Lamb of God HAS taken away the sins of the world.

4 comments:

  1. Hi Kevin,

    'The one picture that stood out to me above all the rest was “Agnus Dei” painted between 1636 and 1640 by Francisco de Zurbaran. It was a picture of a lamb.'

    I find much European type art from that era interesting, although I am no expert. Nice blog. I ran into your blog through Blogger next blog which now, nicely, leads my theology blogs to other religious blogs, mainly Christian.

    Russ

    thekingpin68

    satire and theology

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  2. Thank you for coming by. I hope something I say or have said will be an encouragment.

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  3. I saw the same exhibit 2 times with a school group. The first tour guide went right past that painting and didn't even talk about it. This last one did, and it became my favorite painting in the exhibit when the guide was done talking about it.

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