AUGUST 2005 - ISSUE 5 - ISSN 1448 - 632

	ILLUSTRATING A WORK OF SPIRITUALITY AND THEOLOGY: Anthony J. Kelly's “An Expanding Theology”   FARID DE LA OSSA ARRIETA CMF

Abstract

The prior issue of the Ejournal introduced the reader to the Religious Art of Farid De La Ossa Arrieta CMF as a story of an artist's relationship with his environment, his inner sense of spirituality, his appreciation of theology, and the ability to translate his thoughts and feelings into creative images. In this piece, Farid De La Ossa Arrieta explains how Professor Anthony Kelly's work, An Expanding Theology, creatively and spiritually has influenced and enriched his artwork.

Christianity Enlightening the Universe

The first chapter of An Expanding Theology is entitled: "Implications: A First Circle of Connections". This artistic rendition (above) depicts a large fish in the center, as a symbol of Christianity. Within it are presented representations of the Trinity (the triangle), Creation (landscape), the death and resurrection of Christ (Jesus and the Cross), and the Eucharist (Bread and Wine), - all of which are proposed in this book as the focal meanings of Christianity. This fish illuminates the Earth with a golden light, with the whole Universe, outside the central circle, receiving the light of God's grace.  This painting uses color pencils and color pastels on a white background representing hope and clarity.

Creation within an Scientific Context

The second chapter represents the second circle of connections seen as Contexts. For myself, this section reflected the darkness and uncertainty that sometimes emerges when one reflects on our faith only within a scientific and developing framework. The chapter presents the salient thought that theology has to be more inclined to accept the humbler role of exploring the deeper meanings with which the universe is illuminated.

The elements that emerged here are the following:

- The detail of the creation of Adam that appears in the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel (in the center of this painting as a representation of the creation of the universe and all things within it by God).

- An exploding sphere representing the beginning of historical time with the Big Bang.

- Dinosaurs and other animals of a more primitive age are presented as a counterpoint to the creation stories found within the book of Genesis.

- Evolution of human kind as an eternal plan of God's grace and work is presented in a further sphere.

- Finally, the universe is presented in a circle as the center of humanity - a belief too often echoed in New Age philosophies.

 

Jesus, the Logos

The third section concentrates on the third circle of connections: the Logos in the Cosmos with the recognition of Jesus as the Logos.

This painting centrally presents Jesus as the Logos of the Cosmos. I wanted to show within it the three arcs of meaning in the expression of faith:

- Fulfillment of hopes, prayers, promises (represented by the feet on the rock which for me symbolised our faith, our hopes, and our prayers).

- Participation interconnected with the Eucharistic celebration (represented by the priest lifting up the host surrounded by the people of God).

- Cosmic Extension signifying universal inclusiveness (which appear in this painting as columns portraying clasping hands and continents).

 

Human Being and Culture

What is it to be fully human emersed within a living tradition and developing culture? I reflected on the words of the author - “To be human is to be nourished and clothed and worded by a particular culture” - and tried to depict its essence in the artwork above. Culture is represented through specific Symbols, Language and Values, and all this seemed to come together in the words of Maximus the Confessor quoted within the text:

“The human being is the laboratory in which everything is concentrated and itself naturally mediates between the extremities of each division, having been drawn into everything in a good and fitting way through its development”

Within the painting, you can see a representation of an androgynous human being in the centre (male and female fused together). Behind this, is a depiction of a laboratory above which hovers a dove as a representation of the Holy Spirit - an essential element in the spiritual development of the human species. The "wings" surrounding the central circle are representations of symbols, language and values, which Culture envelops. The colors that predominate are yellow and blue representing God's light and grace in all this process.

 

Holy Trinity

The sixth section of this wonderful book touched me deeply. God is God by being a communion of mutual self-giving and the absolute One-ness of God is concretely realized in a limitlessly self-communicating relationality with His creation. The painting has three circles interconnected with each other signifying all the perfection and eternity that each of the members of the Trinity embodies. There is a form like a dove right in the middle of this painting, mediating between the Father's "blue" circle and the Son's "red" circle. The Spirit is depicted as a kind of landscape with a refreshing water fall, constantly revivifying the Spirit of Creation.

I have attempted to make three representations of each of the members of the Holy Trinity following the visual images that are suggested in the book. Below is a chart which attempts to explain the complexity of the symbolism expressed by the images used (in bold) and the representations I attempted to convey (in parentheses):

From Within Creation

Not all sections of the book were painted in sequence. Some chapters were extremely complex and posed symbolic difficulty for which I needed time for deeper spiritual reflection. One of the last paintings to illustrate Professor Kelly's work was this painting (above) representing Section 4 of An Expanding Theology. For me, it was a complex chapter and below I present a chart of key quotes and key words from the text's chapter and my attempts to artistically convey its depth and meaniung on canvas in the picture above.

The color of God's inviting hand is black as I wanted to convey inclusivity. I was inspired by a recent sculpture created by the Zou brothers which stands next to the Chicago Tribune Building - a very tall piece of sculptored wood with some marks in it and covered completely by black paint. The painting allowed me to connect Theology to Ecology, Science to Daily Life realising that my depiction of Creation reflected vivid perceptions and concepts of the Divine. In many ways it is a mirror to that depiction so masterfully given through the use of language in An Expanding Theology.

 

Death

Ssection 8 of the text dwells on the reality of Death. As is stated in John 12:24, the grain of wheat has to fall into the earth in order to bear fruit. The painting depicts this in all the seeds that are sprouting around the large circle. Inside the circle one can see a tomb at the bottom with Jesus rising from the tomb passing into another dimension reflecting the passage that says:

“Life moves first from the empty tomb” “Faith expands from the tomb to the limitless horizons of transformation of all things in Christ”

Yellow rays stream from the big circle, reminding us that “Life awakens to cosmic surprise.”

Eucharistic Universe

This painting above was created to illustrate the seventh chapter of Anthony Kelly's text, and is titled “Eucharistic Universe”.

Within it you can note the following elements:

- A host that includes the Earth, Humanity and the Resurrected Christ.

- A chalice, which, with the host, are the representation of the sacramental Eucharist.

- Some planets and stars, which are a representation of the expanding Universe.

These elements within this depiction views the Eucharist as the source and goal of the whole life of the Church, relating us intimately to Christ, to each other, and to the Earth within which we dwell. The presence of God pervades our spiritual reality through the Eucharistic gifts binding us to the godhead and to all life and creation itself. It calls us to a willingness to identify and be in solidarity with the poor.

Sex and Love

Chapter 9 of An Expanding Theology, is a spiritual treatise on the themes of Love and Sex .

In illustrating it, I wanted to highlight the relationship between Human Sexuality and Nature as an integrated whole by symbolically showing that human sexual relationships model a larger ecological relationship with Nature.

Equally, I also wanted to depict a symbolic analogy that exists between the Trinity and Human love reflecting this passage from the book:

The being-in-love of man and woman, in its intimacy and generative, participates in the all-creative Being-in-Love that is the Trinity

In order to achieve this, I attempted to combine the Yin-Yang East Asian Tradition, as a symbol of contrast and complementarity, with the male and female figures in the middle of a circle that is contained by yet another circle representing the three modes of inter-dependence that the doctrine of the Trinity implies. This trinitarian self-giving love is presented here as an open Community depicted by the children dressed in Mayan Costumes (indicating inclusivity of all other cultures).

In order to incorporate the notion of Nature, I surrounded the large circle with depictions of some animal species that are in danger of extinction. The faces of the children also denote some danger with a factory chimney threatening ecological pollution. Yet, from within the center, red rays emanate symbolising how God's energy is transferred to the whole of his Creation and to all human beings through the Love and Sexual integrity.

Human Sexuality is analogous to the loving relationship that the Trinity implies, and these realities should lead us to be more committed to justice issues particularly for the oppressed, depicted within this painting as poor children, animals in danger and the polluted Earth.

 

Farid De La Ossa Arrieta CMF is 29 years old and comes from Sincelejo ( Colombia ) and for the past four years has been a member of a Catholic Religious Community called The Claretians.

Email : fariddelaossa@yahoo.com

 

 

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