Ten Paintings for any Catholic Household (and 5 Runners-Up)

Wondering what to get for your domestic church? Here are ten picks based on what families need most in our culture.

• Rembrandt - Head of a Young Jew
  A masculine, merciful Christ. Enough said.
  
  
• Caravaggio: Calling of St. Matthew
  My personal all-time favorite for its quiet illustration of the Incarnation, the role of God the Father and the Church in vocations, and the response of the imperfect one called.
  
  
• Bakhuizen: Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galiliee
  Great technique in an action scene that isn't overtly religious. (Subliminal messaging is real, so why not use it to make people better?)
  
  
• Murillo: Ascent to Calvary
  Picked for a beautiful and non-bloody illustration of the suffering of our Lord and the role of our Lady.
  
  
• Vermeer: The Geographer (nice when paired with The Astronomer)
  For households with young men (see below for the equivalent set of Vermeers for young women), or for anyone ready to think about heaven and earth.
  
  
• Zurbaran: St. Francis
  Picked for its depiction of prayer--not a boring activity, nor a human one.
  
  
• Wright of Derby: A Philosopher Giving a Lecture on the Orrery
  Chosen for visual interest and juxtaposition of father figures and children, who are included in adult activities.
  
  
• Holbein: Sir Thomas More
  Patron of good fathers and families. Enough said!
  
  
• David: Death of Socrates
  Added for an injection of solid philosophy and natural virtue.
  
  
• Raphael: The Meeting between Pope Leo the Great and Attila the Hun
  Added for its ability to portray a brilliant piece of Western history (and an illustration of the role of the Church) with a lot of visual interest. Not an obviously religious piece, so great for public rooms.

Runners-up:

• Vermeer: Woman with a Water Jug OR Milkmaid
  Here's the young ladies' equivalent of the astronomer and the geographer. Vermeer's work with light and transparency, combined with his equally beautiful depiction of women of different personalities and realistic weights (i.e. body mass indices) can be helpful to young girls.
  
  
• Brueghel: Numbering at Bethlehem
  Another visually interesting scene also remarkable for a different style from the others; it's half Where's Waldo and half religious art--another perfect choice for your family room, especially at Christmas.
  
  
• Wright of Derby: Milton's Comus
  A more muted set of colors and a more mythical theme makes this one set apart and useful in an older child's room or a guestroom.
  
  
• El Greco: The Adoration of the Name of Jesus
  Couldn't not have an El Greco: the challenge he poses to prissy Romanticism fanatics is important in teaching members of a family that what they like isn't all that's good. Regardless of whether you choose El Greco or Picasso to make this point, it's a good one to make.
  
  
• Zurbaran: Still Life with Lemons, Oranges, and a Rose
  Chosen for its subtle ability to represent Mary in a still life (teaching the power of art as it does so).

New Look because I'm Feverishly Procrastinating

I am desperately avoiding the impending doom of studying for my comprehensive Respiratory Block Exam. I have a take-home quiz to complete, plenty of First Aid practice questions to go through, and HOURS of lecture to review but I am choosing instead to twiddle the knobs on Blogger's template editor.

I like the new background image of vigil lamps hanging in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Old Jerusalem, taken by Guillaume Paumier. I found it while searching for the below image (a painting entitled The Vigil by John Pettie, better resolution here) which I love because it reminds me of Crusades and St. Joan of Arc and Adoration and surrender.

Look at the knight's expression, and how formally he holds and presents his sword! It's clear to me that he is vowing allegiance, or perhaps even exclusive love, to his Lord. And look how the artist hints at the monstrance, yet piously declines to depict the Host. Perhaps Pettie prefers to depict the majesty of the Eucharist by the grave, yet loving expression in the eyes of the knight...after all, this is often the way we experience the majesty of God: through the devotion and virtue of others.

Caravaggio: the Calling of St. Matthew

The Calling of St. Matthew (alternatively, The Vocation of St. Matthew) examples Caravaggio's signature chiaroscuro and naturalism. Its technical perfection is matched by its theological excellence, because it has much to say about vocations.

First, look at the principle figures in the scene: Christ, St. Matthew, and St. Peter (recognizable in front of Christ by his traditional gold outer garment over a blue-green inner garment).

Christ reaches toward St. Matthew, selecting him. His eyes are wide, his mouth slightly open, his head forward on his body. This illustrates His eager desire (Luke 22:15) to have each of us belong to Him, which desire is the source of every vocation.

His hand is almost precisely copied from Michelangelo's famous Creation of Adam. Christ's hand is pointing in the same direction as the hand of Michelangelo's God the Father. However, Caravaggio does not copy God the Father's energetic fingers; instead, he traces Adam's limp hand. In these details, Caravaggio represents our Lord as divine and descending to men from Heaven; at the same time, he includes Christ's full humanity--he took on all the (unfallen) weakness of His creatures.


It would be remiss to comment on a Caravaggio without speaking about light. The light (illuminating the figures and a little less than half of the wall) is not coming from the window. Rather, it is coming from behind Christ. It reminds me of our recent Mass readings...

The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works. (Jn 14:10)

Finally, notice St. Peter, who might initially seem awkwardly placed. Isn't he blocking Christ? On the contrary, he is placed to represent an often-overlooked aspect of each vocation. The vocation of every Catholic is approved by the Church: for example, consecrated men and women make their vows or receive consecration with the approval of their ordinary; in another example, the vows exchanged by a married couple are dignified in the Sacrament of Matrimony. In The Calling of St. Matthew St. Peter stands as Christ's vicar, not blocking or replacing Him, but making Christ's desires known as he imitates Christ's gesture.