Christ Calming the Storm
We just love this colorful interpretation of Christ Calming the Storm (1891) by James Ensor. Even though it was painted over 100 years ago, it looks like it could have been painted in today's era. The loose, open brushstrokes add depth and drama to the sea and sky and the light of Christ radiates from the boat as the source of total control.
The effect of the brilliance of the colors and lights is very powerful. What Ensor intends to depict “are not subjects, but rather lights.” And so his Sea of Galilee, raging in the storm, becomes like “the primitive chaos dominated by a divine breath” in which the elements, unleashed, breathe and cry out. In this chaos, the sea and the sky mingle their waves, so that their limits cannot be distinguished. And behold, submerged by the spray, the fragile skiff where Jesus and his apostles have taken their places. For Ensor, it represents humanity, assailed on every side by the furious forces of nature and of society. Revolted by the harmful realities of this world, Ensor hopes in the depths of his heart that this Jesus who stands at the prow of the boat to defy the powers of evil and death; that this Jesus is truly, really God who has come to share and to take on our human destiny so as to save it. (Magnificat)
This gorgeous painting is available as an 8x10 or an 11x14 Giclee print on Archival Matte paper.
