Religion in Literature Made an Impression
When I was in college at Saint Mary’s College of California I needed to take a religion class to graduate. I chose Brother Micheal Meister’s class, Religion in Literature as it covered a book I knew which I wanted to read (Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings). There were three or four other books to be read in the semester.
The first book up is one that blew me away. It was Chiam Potok’s book My Name Is Asher Lev which focusses on a coming of age young adult, Asher Lev, who is an artist in training and wanting to become much better. He is in a Hasidic Jewish family and his father is very conservative and aims to strictly abide the framings and limitations of the faith. The book moves through Asher’s trying to learn to be a better artist (with the assistance of Jacob Kahn a successful artist) and grow in his faith.
The book and the class are a wonderful dive into the art world, a myriad of artists, and works of art. The class became not only a discussion and deep dive into the book and its connection to religion, but a great discover into art appreciation and art history. Brother Michael used about half of the class to give background on the artists and the works mentioned in the book before we’d focus on the text. This focus on art was a great bonus for this course.
The Framing of the Art
Coming into this course I was playfully dismissive of impressionist art, particularly Claude Monet. Posters of Monet’s works were on the walls of many (if not most) of the women’s dorm rooms. I called impressionist art “far away art” as the farther away you got the more it looked like something, as well as “these artists could benefit from a good pair glasses”. But, in the time we spent reading the book and the background presentation on art my perspective changed a lot. I gained an understanding and appreciation for Monet, but also many more artists. To this day I have paintings I enjoy seeing and spending time with that are works of Monet.
Monet had some of the focus. But, Picasso’s Guernica played a large part and there is a lot in this large work. Brother Michael brought solid understanding of not only the Guernica, but many other works of Picasso, as well as the history of the town of Guernica that Picasso was trying to express. I had interest in Picasso’s works, but this focus gave me understanding and appreciation beyond what I came in with. Picasso’s quote, “Art is a lie which makes us realize the truth”, also makes it in.
Understandably, Marc Chagall’s works were also a focus. Going in I found Chagall’s work, odd at best. But, the framing and background in the book through the instruction of Kahn, and the professor in class framed the semi-absurd constructs and color use in a way it made sense and how to take it in. Within a few months I would be going back into the Pompidou Center for the second or third time, and one of the first pieces I passed and it quickly caught my eye was a work of Chagall. Not seeing the signage, I knew it was Chagall, which I wouldn’t have given a moment prior nor recognized it. I spent a few minutes trying to understand the painting and interpret it, but I was there to see a few other works and not a lot of time allotted that day.
The book opened up the class for time learning about Michelangelo, Cezanne, Van Gogh, Renoir, Kandinsky, Chaim Soutine, Amedeo Modigliani, Jules Pascin, and Renoir among others. This was far more than just a religion or literature course in a fantastic and lasting way.
The Appreciation
The appreciation of Monet has grown through seeing 6 of the works (may have been eight) of the paintings of the time and light studies of the Cathedral of Rouen when they were brought together at the Musee d’Orsay. This gathering of the works was stunning to see the shifts and changes captured so well. I also have spent many trips to the National Gallery in DC to see the study in time and light of the Houses of Parliament at sunset, which evokes an emotion of longing that is almost a light ache, in sort of a good way.
Having visited the gardens and house in Giverny so much more came, uh…, into focus. I didn’t expect this to engross me as much as it did, but seeing the subject of many paintings and on many dorm walls, was impressive. Yes, I squinted and unfocussed my eyes. Seeing the Japanese garden bridge made the paintings with it as the focus more tangible and not just something someone painted but captured the spirits and grace of it all.
Thank you Brother Michael for waking up my mind and giving me the ability to appreciate and experience something prior I just shrugged off. The understandings from not only Chiam Potok’s book, but Angelou, Falkner, O’Conner (my mother is a fish), and another were expected, but also opened my literary mind as well.