Joy: W.W.J.B.?

As the school year rapidly draws to a close, it's time for another Creative Project blog! Months ago, we were studying the role of art in Counter-Reformation Italy and the role of art within the Catholic Church. One day, we watched a selection of clips from Simon Schama's Power of Art: Caravaggio DVD. :) I HAD to incorporate my favorite artist into our studies, and Caravaggio was revolutionary for many reasons, primarily because he painted Jesus into the contemporary settings of Rome. For example, his Calling of St. Matthew (below) takes place in a Roman bar with dim lighting and money and cards for gambling. 

Caravaggio's goal was to make the Gospel message of redemption and Jesus' saving power in the "here and now"-- hence, the dress and setting of his paintings were familiar to the contemporary Roman scenes, not the settings of the Holy Land. Needless to say, Caravaggio's stylings were seen as scandalous and shocking for many viewers, who were used to the pristine and pure images of artists such as Raphael. In class, we talked about seeing Jesus as a real person who is present in our lives, not a static, impersonal deity who is trapped in paintings and shrines.

As a fun creative project, I had the students draw their own Caravaggio-inspired piece: They had to draw Jesus into a contemporary setting and then write a paragraph explaining why they placed him in that particular setting. Why Jesus is needed there? In what ways do you see God's presence in this setting? 

A sampling are below: Jesus at a disco, Jesus in our classroom 302, Jesus at the mall, Jesus embracing the entire world, and Jesus spreading peace in Times Square:

(Closeup)

The responses of the students were so diverse. Happy Jesus, Heartbroken Jesus, Hidden Jesus, and Helping Jesus all made appearances. They were overwhelmingly heartfelt, honest, and child-like, and I am honored to share some of the paragraphs below: 

"Jesus is needed at Mother Cabrini so that He can help us follow Him. We need to learn how to appreciate each other and the bond that we share as Cabrini Sisters.  With Jesus' help, we can love each other as ourselves.  We will always try to do what is right.  If we follow Jesus, we will be good daughters of God.  Jesus is needed so we can share his love and live God's Word."

 

Paragraph on the back: "I drew Jesus on top of the Empire State Building.  My reason for drawing him this setting was so he could be seen by everyone.  Since the Empire State Building is the tallest building in New York, so it is the summit of New York.  If Jesus were there, people would see a bright sun at day and a shining star at night.  Jesus would be the "Jewel of the City."

These two were very similar, so this is a combined reflection on the paragraphs on the back: "Jesus is at a street corner outside my building at night full of gang members/delinquents. There are a lot of gang-bangers and drug dealers outside my building. A typical delinquent sells/buys drugs, smokes, drinks, and/or owns a gun illegally.  They definitely need Jesus to guide them back on the right track. Jesus is needed because he loves his children. They are at a street corner at night because that's when delinquents/gang members usually come out and feel the strongest."  

 

Paragraph on the back of the bottom picture: "Jesus is in the Yankee Stadium.  He is here because this is where a lot of people come together to celebrate the team that best represents them.  I think Jesus will be happy looking over all the types of people that gather together to watch a baseball game.  Everyone is here very happy and I know that makes Jesus happy. I am sure he enjoys all the smiles of people and is there to enjoy every moment of it.  He looks at all his children and sees the beauty of everyone."

Paragraph on the back: "I put Jesus [in] the room that y parish holds youth group.  I think Jesus is needed there because it is a very small group of teens.  Most of these teens need help and comfort.  A lot of them tend to stray away from God or not pay attention during prayer.  Also, we need Jesus to give us all strength to do what is right and needed.  Also to keep our youth group strong and to keep us expand and bring more people to the group."

 This student wrote: "I chose to draw Jesus in Florida.  I drew him there because it is the place I want to go more than any place in the world.  It seems like a very peaceful area and Jesus is a person who brings peace to us."

The back reads: "In my picture, I drew Jesus enjoying a beautiful day at Ocean World.  On the left corner there are seats and many people are sitting and waiting for the dolphin show.  Jesus is getting ready to swim with the dolphins and do a wonderful show for the audience.  I chose Ocean World for Jesus to go because Jesus loves animals and also wanted to show his amazing talents that he has with animals."

The paragraph on the back of the top image: "We need Jesus at all times, but most especially we call upon Jesus during times of need like my apartment building fire.  People call upon Jesus to guide them through the chaos.  We pray for them, their families, and their neighbors."

One of the many things I enjoyed about this assignment was that it also gave me more intimate details about the lives of my girls. Each one brought her background, her view of God, her artistic thinking and talents, and for many-- a sense of humor. :) Looking over our bulletin board during prayer, we were reminded of where to thank God for being with us as well as praying to recognize God in all spaces.  As I removed these pictures this week (as we are cleaning out our classrooms now), I had such a feeling of gratitude for each student and how special and unique each is. I can't articulate how much these girls have inspired my own relationship with God, but the images, joys, and struggles of these students are clearly seen through their reflections. 

Peace, 
-Michelle