By Ella Fordyce, Class of 2019
The freshmen of Thomas More College of Liberal Arts recently took a trip to Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) as part of their Way of Beauty semester project. The Way of Beauty is a two-semester sequence in the perception, creation, and analysis of beauty. This term focuses on the different techniques sacred artists and composers have used throughout the centuries to glorify God and sanctify man. For the semester project, each student selects a work of art that is on view at the MFA to analyze in a formal paper.
Miss Taylor Sbat, Class of 2021, is analyzing The Mocking of Christ, by Mannerist painter Jacopo Bassano. Seeing it in person, Miss Sbat was able to notice more subtle details than she had seen looking at a reproduction online. “The color of Our Lord’s body was sickly white,” she explained, “which helped express the life being taken out of Him by His mockers as well as our sins.” For Miss Sbat, the painting is a portrait of Christ’s self-control in the face of His adversaries. “If you look at Jesus’ hand, it looks like He’s trying to bless His mockers, but is too weak to raise His hand fully. I was looking at this painting and thinking to myself, ‘How many times do I lack self-control in the face of adversity?’”
Mr. Sean Tuffy, Class of 2021, is analyzing The Crucifixion, by 16th century Flemish painter Joos van Cleve. “The greenish hue of Christ’s face is striking,” Mr. Tuffy said, “and what I found interesting about it was that if one were to remove that color and apply it to a blank canvas, it would stand out as almost gross, although as incorporated into the work it somehow does not look out-of-place.” Mr. Tuffy found that the knowledge he has gained through the Way of Beauty class changed the way he looked at the painting. He could now identify a number of techniques used in The Crucifixion that had been discussed in class.
A museum should offer hours of observation and contemplation to the visitor. Many people, unfortunately, pass right by paintings they are not able to appreciate. But thanks to the Way of Beauty, the freshman class has gained a better ability to truly appreciate art.
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