New Perspectives

Having attended the MoA tour last fall, I took this chance to explore more on my own. There had been several paintings I wanted more time with, so I skipped straight to those. As I tuned out the sound of other visitors, I felt a stronger connection to each image.

First I stopped by the image of the praying woman and the glass of water. I saw for the first time how much they were part of the same image. Much discussion had focused on the flatness of the woman as opposed to the realism of the glass. However, I saw several connecting elements. The proportions were perfect. The woman could easily pick up and hold the tall glass, but instead she just looked. Her dress was intricate, but not gaudy. It seemed subdued, and created the perfect background for the simple glass. I really got the sense that this woman deserved and was capable of having the water. If she simply made the effort to step out of her flat and one-way life, she could have the fullness the living water offered her. Her face showed her desire, she simply needed to take action.

Next I sat in front of my personal favorite, The Prodigal Son. Last time I visited, I was entranced by the idea that should you remove the middle, squalid panel, the two ends would fit nicely together. The son did not need to go through his time of struggle in order to have a full life. This visit, I noticed more details. Although his life would have been happier, and just as full, there were experiences that forever changed him. In the first panel, there were beautiful, perfect apples, and the blue cloth cover. But down in the bottom were a couple of darker, moldy-looking apples. Something was festering. There was unhappiness and discontent with the way life was. Life was good, full, and happy, but there was a desire for something else. In the middle panel, richness was everywhere: lots of wine, apples, grapes, pigs. But despite the seeming glory of this compared to simple apples, it was all moldy, grey, and miserable. Only sorrow really came through. The signs of splendor were nothing more than empty promised. However, in the final panel, the beauty and cleanness of the first panel is restored and improved. Here, there is no festering longing for something else. Life has changed, and now there is wine and grapes along with beautiful apples, but it is all in the light. Definite changes happened, and the story may even have improved because of the trials and mistakes of the center. To me, this really shows how every experience in life changes me. I can improve and better myself, even when I make mistakes. The key is getting back into the light and returning to where I need to be. Bringing lessons along with me, I will continue to grow, and even push farther forward, despite mistakes I will inevitably make in my journey.