The Master's Hand : A visit to the Carl Bloch Exhibition

      I love the work of an artist's hand, and have often been moved to tears by the sheer beauty of a particular picture. Sometimes you come across a painting that draws you in to include you in it, somehow being at one with you. Someone once told me that to experience great emotion when looking at a beautiful work of art showed that you had a soul, for it spoke to your soul.
      Whatever the answer is, I experienced a great deal of emotion when I visited the exhibition of paintings by Carl Bloch at the BYU Museum of Art in Provo, Utah, on my recent visit. Like many folk, I had seen small reproductions of Bloch's work previously, but nothing could have prepared me for the impact of these full-scale masterpieces. 
      Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1834, Carl Heinrich Bloch's passion in life from a very young age was drawing and painting, and despite his parent's desire to see their son in a respectable profession, all he wanted to do was paint. He entered the Royal Danish Academy of Art and studied under Wilhelm Marstrand.
      Bloch met his wife Alma in Rome, and married her in May 1868, eight children ensuing from the marriage.  Sadly, Alma suffered an early death, passing away in January 1886 after less than eighteen years of marriage, and leaving Bloch to raise their children alone. Her death had a traumatic effect on Carl, and life was very difficult for him to deal with.
      In 1879 Carl Bloch was commissioned to paint 23 paintings of scenes from the life of Christ for the Chapel at Frederiksborg Palace, a commission which took him 14 years to complete. 
      Below are photographs of the paintings which spoke to my soul when I experienced them recently first-hand. The exhibition at the BYU Museum of Art is open until May 7th. If you have the opportunity to visit it then I would urge you to do so. It can be a life-changing experience.

  No matter how good these photographs are, it is not possible to recreate the impact that the full-size originals have.

 Bloch's use of light and shade is the work of a Master, and truly makes the paintings live.

This painting of Christ with a Young Child gave me the feeling that I wondered whether I was being drawn into the picture by Christ or whether He was stepping out of the painting to me.

The impact of this painting of Christ in Gethsemane caused me to write a new hymn under its inspiration as soon as I returned to my host's home. I posted the hymn on this Blog last Thursday (17th March), but here it is again for those of you who missed it.

Love and Mercy   8787  D

TUNE: Here is Love

In the garden Christ is praying

To the Father up above.

By the sweat that falls in red drops,

His obedience proves His love.

On the cross our Lord is dying

For the sins of all mankind;

Soon His body will be lying

Still and silent, deaf and blind.

Through His death we find redemption,

By His life we’re freed from sin;

He will grant us all salvation,

If our hearts will let Him in.

Love and mercy, grace abounding,

God is reaching from above;

He is pouring out His mercy,

He is pouring out His love.

© 2011 : Colin Gordon-Farleigh