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Andrei Mironov: Healing of the Blind Man
ArtWay Visual Meditation 19 February 2023
Andrei Mironov: Healing of the Blind Man
Being Cured from Blindness
by Patrick van der Vorst
Jesus and his disciples came to Bethsaida, and some people brought to him a blind man whom they begged him to touch. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. Then putting spittle on his eyes and laying his hands on him, he asked, 'Can you see anything?' The man, who was beginning to see, replied, 'I can see people; they look like trees to me, but they are walking about.' Then he laid his hands on the man's eyes again and he saw clearly; he was cured, and he could see everything plainly and distinctly. And Jesus sent him home, saying, 'Do not even go into the village.' Mark 8:22-26
Being self-educated in painting, Andrei Mironov developed his own, highly classical style of painting religious subjects such as the artwork we are looking at today. The vertically elongated canvas adds to the slight weirdness of the painting when we look at it. Light is emanating from Christ and shining upon the blind man's face. Jesus is about to touch the blind man's eyes. The blind man's unusual facial expression reveals expectation mixed with slight nervousness for what is about to happen. Christ's right hand and the blind man's left hand express the same gesture of gentleness, both are united in the very moment.
It is that hand which gets described in the start of our Gospel passage of today: 'He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village.' This is a kind, gentle act of love which Jesus is bestowing upon the blind man before the miracle happens. Jesus did not have to do this. He could have healed the man, there and then, where he was. However, Jesus chose to spend some time alone with the man in a very caring way. Jesus, fully human and divine in his nature, sought to be alone with this man. Some of the most beautiful, intense and faith-growing times in our life will happen when we are completely alone with God, where He can cure us from our own blindness.
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Andrei Miranov: Healing of the Blind Man, 2019, oil on canvas, 23.6 x 11.8 cm.
Andrei Mironov (b. 1975) was born in Ryazan, Russia. His paintings and prints focus on religious themes that portray his Christian beliefs and ideals. His oil paintings of biblical scenes are reminiscent of the artist Caravaggio with their dramatic lighting and detailed portraits. Self-educated in painting, Mironov has worked as a portraitist since 2005. The artist defines Christianity as “the main theme of his works”. His paintings are found in private collections, in the Kashira local museum, in the Monastery of Our Lady of Kazan, and in the St. Nicholas Church in Yamskaya Sloboda (Ryazan). (wikipedia) Read more Website: http://artmiro.ru/
Patrick van der Vorst is a former Director of Sotheby’s Europe. He worked at Sotheby’s in Bond Street, London, from 1995 till 2010, as an auctioneer and Head of the Furniture Department. He left the company to set up his own online art valuation company, ValueMyStuff.com, often referred to in the press as the Antiques Roadshow online. With over 500,000 customers he sold the company in 2018 to pave the way to start seminary in September 2019. He joined the Pontifical Beda College in Rome for the Diocese of Westminster, London. He launched the www.Christian.Art website in the period after having left the art world and before starting seminary. In his daily reflections Patrick combines his knowledge of the arts, together with his personal journey to the priesthood. Patrick was ordained in Rome in June 2022 to the Diaconate. The mission of Christian Art is to offer a daily Gospel Reading paired with a related work of art and a short reflection. Its goal is to help people grow closer to God through the magnificent pairing of art and the Christian faith. https://christian.art
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ART NEWS INTERNATIONAL
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DONATELLO IN V & A LONDON – Until 11 June , V & A, Cromwell Road, London: The first major UK exhibition to explore the exceptional talents of the Renaissance master Donatello, arguably the greatest sculptor of all time. Experience a fresh vision of the artist and his influence on subsequent generations. The exhibition will offer a fresh vision of the artist and his impact on both the cultural and artistic development of this crucial time in the history of art. Featuring many works that have never been on display in the UK, the exhibition will explore Donatello’s innovations, collaborations and inspirations within the vibrant artistic and cultural context of fifteenth-century Italy and his influence on subsequent generations of artists. Donatello (c.1386-1466) was in the vanguard of a revolution in sculptural practice in the early Renaissance. Working in the full range of sculptural materials and techniques, including marble, bronze, wood, terracotta and stucco, he contributed to major commissions of church and state, was an intimate of the Medici family and their circle in Florence, and was highly sought after in other Italian centres. 10 – 17.45 h (Fr until 22 h). https://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/donatello-sculpting-the-renaissance
DANISH ALMANAC OF FAITH – Exploring aspects of faith in Denmark is Maja Lisa Engelhardt, an abstract artist who is known there for her church decorations where she demonstrates an exquisite sense of colours and materials. Her Almanac of faith 2023 takes nature and the changing of the seasons as a starting point for images and texts. She has carefully selected and compiled the material for each week, including her own works and texts among a selection of especially Danish and Nordic poets and painters. Maja Lisa Engelhardt is well regarded as an abstract painter with representation at the Elizabeth Harris Gallery in New York City and in galleries throughout Europe. Both Engelhardt, and her husband, Peter Brandes, are involved in liturgical design. During the past twenty-five years they have been in large part responsible for a “renaissance in Danish church interiors.” They have made work for over 20 churches with stained glass, painted altarpieces, floor coverings, mosaics, vestments and metal work, all essential components of their extensive ecclesiastical projects. In Danish. https://www.bog-ide.dk/produkt/3993310/maja-lisa-engelhardt-troens-almanak-2023
For more exhibitions, lectures, conferences etc., click here
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ARTWAY: OPENING EYES, HEARTS AND MINDS
Other recent meditations:
- March 2023: Christopher Gonzales-Aden: The Holding
- March 2023: Daniel Callis III: Saints & Clowns
- February 2023: Rembrandt: Jeremiah Lamenting
- January 2023: Andrew Vessey: Canticle for Assisi
For more Visual Meditations, see under Artists