Agony in the Garden portrays the intimate scene of Jesus before the crucifixion. While his Apostles sleep, an Angel ministers to Jesus. In the visual language of Medieval art, we instantly know which figure is Jesus, because he is not only much larger (indicating importance) but he is surrounded by the color Blue. A Blue hue was attached to people and things that were Heavenly. By wearing a Blue robe amid a Blue field, Jesus is shown to be an important heavenly figure. The angel, also a heavenly being, further emphasizes this idea, as his robe too is Blue and he is entering the Blue field with Jesus. The angel is smaller, and therefore less important, than Jesus. We can identify this as an angel not only because of his wings, but also because he is barefoot; angels in the Dark and Middle Ages were depicted as barefoot.
The Apostles are depicted firmly in the Earthly Realm, hedged around by a clay-colored Brown. They, being less important than Jesus or the angel, are diminutive in size. Green, in the form of genuine Malachite ground stone, has a prominent presence, being the color of Hope, and therefore prefigures a Resurrection to come.
For this ILLUMINATION, I painted on deerskin parchment, a finer quality than goatskin because it has no evident grain pattern. 24k double gold leaf makes this painting an ILLUMINATION, and pure ground pigments make up the Egg Tempera paint.
Th artwork is mounted on dark brown acid-free paper. A cream-colored mat board encloses the piece, with interior measurements of 13.5” x 10.5”, and exterior measurements of 20” x 16”. A clear plastic sleeve protects the art.
My own personal wax seal is affixed to each ILLUMINATION.
Agony in the Garden portrays the intimate scene of Jesus before the crucifixion. While his Apostles sleep, an Angel ministers to Jesus. In the visual language of Medieval art, we instantly know which figure is Jesus, because he is not only much larger (indicating importance) but he is surrounded by the color Blue. A Blue hue was attached to people and things that were Heavenly. By wearing a Blue robe amid a Blue field, Jesus is shown to be an important heavenly figure. The angel, also a heavenly being, further emphasizes this idea, as his robe too is Blue and he is entering the Blue field with Jesus. The angel is smaller, and therefore less important, than Jesus. We can identify this as an angel not only because of his wings, but also because he is barefoot; angels in the Dark and Middle Ages were depicted as barefoot.
The Apostles are depicted firmly in the Earthly Realm, hedged around by a clay-colored Brown. They, being less important than Jesus or the angel, are diminutive in size. Green, in the form of genuine Malachite ground stone, has a prominent presence, being the color of Hope, and therefore prefigures a Resurrection to come.
For this ILLUMINATION, I painted on deerskin parchment, a finer quality than goatskin because it has no evident grain pattern. 24k double gold leaf makes this painting an ILLUMINATION, and pure ground pigments make up the Egg Tempera paint.
Th artwork is mounted on dark brown acid-free paper. A cream-colored mat board encloses the piece, with interior measurements of 13.5” x 10.5”, and exterior measurements of 20” x 16”. A clear plastic sleeve protects the art.
My own personal wax seal is affixed to each ILLUMINATION.