There is an interesting power in art that makes you sometimes realize the bigger picture. I, for one, am not particularly savvy when it comes to finding deeper meaning behind the art, or the reasons that the artist tried to depict a certain feeling in a certain way. And to be frank, I quite often find it cheesy or silly when an art guide (or anyone for that matter) who asks the question: “What type of emotion does this invoke in you?” I really don’t like when there is an element of trying to force things. With all that being said, I still love art, and have spent quite some time trying to understand it at my own pace. I would like to mention one piece of art in particular that really stood out to me. It is this picture of Christ:





I don’t know exactly why it stood out to me, but I know a lot of the reasons. One is that it is very well done. I love the photorealism that it portrays. Another is the face of the Savior. He seems to be in deep thought about something, or perhaps some sort of agony He is suffering. Our wonderful tour guide mentioned how the background is just black. There is nothing else going on in the scene beside what you see in the front. So she asked us, “When did this take place?” A lot of people said that it was right as Christ had finished carrying the cross to where He was about to be crucified. While that seems possible, you can see that He is not sweating at all, as if no work had been performed yet. I thought about this, and my thought was it probably was just as soon as the laid the cross on Him to be carried. Now, though, after thinking more about it, there is some sort of distance in His face, as if He is thinking about something, and the cross seems heavy still, but yet the Savior is standing erect. I personally feel that this painting is Christ knowing full well that He has work to do, and that he will yet have to bear this burden to do His work. I feel He is lost in His thoughts, and that He is only thinking about what lies before Him. This is why I liked the visit to the Museum of Art, we were able to take time to reflect on the life of the Savior and who He is, and to notice that there is more for us to learn about Him.