Saturday 6 March 2010
Part 3: The Pope's column
To the left side of the picture there is a square column which is part of the same building as the pillar of truth. I first thought of it as the Pope's column because in the chip on the column some have seen a face with a crooked triple tiara.
The Pope's column therefore has a role with regard to the pillar of truth. In contemporary language he exercises the Magisterium of the Church. It is his duty to see that revealed truth is preserved and proclaimed and that error is suppressed. In Christendom heresy was not only condemned but penalised by death exercised by the State, the temporal arm of Christendom. The Pope was also a temporal ruler who sometimes led armies into the field of battle. His task then while essentially concerned with "the pillar of truth", was full of distortions which is why perhaps his column is physically distinct from the Column of the Truth.
I am going beyond architectonics to the area of secrets when I confess to not having seen the cooked triple tiara but to have discerned a wolf above the face.
As Christendom is in danger of splitting, the Papacy is perhaps being presented as essential to things, yet in need of reform. This would square with the year 1537.
The Pope's column therefore has a role with regard to the pillar of truth. In contemporary language he exercises the Magisterium of the Church. It is his duty to see that revealed truth is preserved and proclaimed and that error is suppressed. In Christendom heresy was not only condemned but penalised by death exercised by the State, the temporal arm of Christendom. The Pope was also a temporal ruler who sometimes led armies into the field of battle. His task then while essentially concerned with "the pillar of truth", was full of distortions which is why perhaps his column is physically distinct from the Column of the Truth.
I am going beyond architectonics to the area of secrets when I confess to not having seen the cooked triple tiara but to have discerned a wolf above the face.
As Christendom is in danger of splitting, the Papacy is perhaps being presented as essential to things, yet in need of reform. This would square with the year 1537.
Part 11: The shade and the light
The background of the picture is full of full daylight, which I am assuming represents the light of intellect and what it can attain. I see the far right column as representing this attainment, but I have just noticed that it has a shadow side which turns away, as it were, from the pillar of truth. So the pillar if truth is confronted, as it were, by the best of rational attainment.
Meantime, the pillar of truth falls into near blackness as it faces the pillar of rational attainment. This contrast accentuates the problem facing Christendom. I do not know whether this is just a happy accident or whether intended by the artist. It does though remind me of dear Pio Nono, a nineteenth century Pope, who said "L'Eglise - c'est moi". There is loveableness here for those on his side but a decided darkness, an incapacity to communicate for anyone who is not in communication.
Meantime, the pillar of truth falls into near blackness as it faces the pillar of rational attainment. This contrast accentuates the problem facing Christendom. I do not know whether this is just a happy accident or whether intended by the artist. It does though remind me of dear Pio Nono, a nineteenth century Pope, who said "L'Eglise - c'est moi". There is loveableness here for those on his side but a decided darkness, an incapacity to communicate for anyone who is not in communication.
Part 10: Allegory - A summary
level.
The clear concept of allegory had to wait to the nineteenth century but its usage goes back at least to the Gospels. In an allegory everything means something else.
Moving from left to right, the first column represents the teaching of the Pope; the darkness represents the mystery of God; the clear light means man's capacity to apprehend truth; the red brick wall represents man's destructive capacity, and the last column represents clearly apprehended truth. The great, decorated column represents the pillar of truth and the grey bridge from that column to the column of clearly apprehended truth represents the working world of theology whereby one truth is related to another. The clear light represents the light of intellect meeting proportionate being and the shaded light represents the light of intellect meeting mystery. The chips indicate the passage of time. The laces around the lady's neck may indicate embryonic or future man, the gold button royalty and so power and the dented clock may indicate the prospect of truth shaped time. The floor pattern combines with the laces to echo Leonardo's geometric picture of man.
The only overall feature we have found to be not allegoric is what appears to be a self portrait of the artist in the architectural object emerging from the main column.
The question occurs, may the lady in black not be an historical figure at all? Might she be simply an allegory of truth?
The clear concept of allegory had to wait to the nineteenth century but its usage goes back at least to the Gospels. In an allegory everything means something else.
Moving from left to right, the first column represents the teaching of the Pope; the darkness represents the mystery of God; the clear light means man's capacity to apprehend truth; the red brick wall represents man's destructive capacity, and the last column represents clearly apprehended truth. The great, decorated column represents the pillar of truth and the grey bridge from that column to the column of clearly apprehended truth represents the working world of theology whereby one truth is related to another. The clear light represents the light of intellect meeting proportionate being and the shaded light represents the light of intellect meeting mystery. The chips indicate the passage of time. The laces around the lady's neck may indicate embryonic or future man, the gold button royalty and so power and the dented clock may indicate the prospect of truth shaped time. The floor pattern combines with the laces to echo Leonardo's geometric picture of man.
The only overall feature we have found to be not allegoric is what appears to be a self portrait of the artist in the architectural object emerging from the main column.
The question occurs, may the lady in black not be an historical figure at all? Might she be simply an allegory of truth?
Part 9: A Strange Addition
square.
At the base of the pillar of truth there is a strange extension which would appear to be an ornarr.entation on the pillar. I suspect this is not allegoric, but, at the first level, a sort of signature or self portrait of the artist. There is a huge mouth at the base level capable of a grin but going the other way. In 1536 or so, Michelangelo did a self portrait in his picture of the last judgement (in much the same position relative to the whole) and in Holbein's picture of Christina of Denmark (1539) he has discernibly presented himself (again on the lower right hand side) in the folds of her dress. We may have here a clue to the painter, but if this is what is going on, we have left behind the allegorical meaning of things and come to a literal level.
At the base of the pillar of truth there is a strange extension which would appear to be an ornarr.entation on the pillar. I suspect this is not allegoric, but, at the first level, a sort of signature or self portrait of the artist. There is a huge mouth at the base level capable of a grin but going the other way. In 1536 or so, Michelangelo did a self portrait in his picture of the last judgement (in much the same position relative to the whole) and in Holbein's picture of Christina of Denmark (1539) he has discernibly presented himself (again on the lower right hand side) in the folds of her dress. We may have here a clue to the painter, but if this is what is going on, we have left behind the allegorical meaning of things and come to a literal level.
Part 8: Architectonics of dress
There are three items of dress which may join the allegorical nature of things in the painting. There is first the gold' button which in a discreet way may indicate royalty. If we are dealing with Mary Tudor in 1537, she has just agreed that she is illegitimate and so not royal, so discretion is the order of the day.
She carries what I assume is a watch (which is dented). If truth is the daughter of time, then truth is also the mother of a time, an order, a civilisation that lives in truth. The watch may be a sort of small globe representing a gathering of man in time living by truth in Christendom amended and restored.
The third item worth noting is the slightly strange arrangement around the lady's neck. There appear to be four laces whereas I suspect there should be only two. One lace terminating more exactly than one would expect appears to make two buttocks out of Mary's flesh. One other, also terminating exactly, may indicate an arm. Two others in synchronisation not to be expected may make another arm. An embryonic head is created by the lady's ruff. We are dealing perhaps with man in embryo.
Several people looking at the picture have noted this. It was Leonardo who set a complete man in a geometric pattern. The lady stands on a floor with a geometric pattern .. If this is the same pattern Leonardo used, this would be confirmatory that the work with the laces and with the clock is envisaging a new age. The golden button indicates power, maybe.
The circumference of the watch equals the side of the square, so that if you put the shape of the watch in the square you get Leonardo's shape in which he portrayed the perfection of the human form, a circle in a square.
She carries what I assume is a watch (which is dented). If truth is the daughter of time, then truth is also the mother of a time, an order, a civilisation that lives in truth. The watch may be a sort of small globe representing a gathering of man in time living by truth in Christendom amended and restored.
The third item worth noting is the slightly strange arrangement around the lady's neck. There appear to be four laces whereas I suspect there should be only two. One lace terminating more exactly than one would expect appears to make two buttocks out of Mary's flesh. One other, also terminating exactly, may indicate an arm. Two others in synchronisation not to be expected may make another arm. An embryonic head is created by the lady's ruff. We are dealing perhaps with man in embryo.
Several people looking at the picture have noted this. It was Leonardo who set a complete man in a geometric pattern. The lady stands on a floor with a geometric pattern .. If this is the same pattern Leonardo used, this would be confirmatory that the work with the laces and with the clock is envisaging a new age. The golden button indicates power, maybe.
The circumference of the watch equals the side of the square, so that if you put the shape of the watch in the square you get Leonardo's shape in which he portrayed the perfection of the human form, a circle in a square.
Part 7 Archtectonics: The Darkness
is lost.
The Lady in Black is in the shade and surrounded by darkness. This is a remarkable artistic feat but if the darkness is symbolic what is it a symbol of? If light is a symbol of truth one might expect darkness to be a symbol of evil. Could the darkness though be a symbol of God, whose ways are not our ways, who is shrouded in mystery and who strangely allows evil, even the evil signified by the red wall? Christian theology sees God as allowing evil so that a greater good may come, but this is quite an alarming feature of the ways of Providence. As with Job, he might allow countless evils destructive of one's natural happiness. Together with the tolerance of evil, God is Himself mysterious. Theology which making use of analogy reaches positive conclusions - "God is good" - moves to an apophatic realisation of His transcendence. To the darkness of God's providence as it touches mortal life there is apophatic darkness which waits upon the beatific vision. There is further the truth that man's understanding is in personal and historical development.
The human subject then has to cope with the darkness of God's providence allowing physical and moral evil, the darkness of His transcendent nature, the darkness arising from a limited personal development and the darkness arising from a limited historical development - a darkness being experienced in Europe with the emergence of the reformation.
A symbol may of course, combine opposites but I sense in this picture that the darkness surrounding the lady is ultimately benign.
The Lady in Black is in the shade and surrounded by darkness. This is a remarkable artistic feat but if the darkness is symbolic what is it a symbol of? If light is a symbol of truth one might expect darkness to be a symbol of evil. Could the darkness though be a symbol of God, whose ways are not our ways, who is shrouded in mystery and who strangely allows evil, even the evil signified by the red wall? Christian theology sees God as allowing evil so that a greater good may come, but this is quite an alarming feature of the ways of Providence. As with Job, he might allow countless evils destructive of one's natural happiness. Together with the tolerance of evil, God is Himself mysterious. Theology which making use of analogy reaches positive conclusions - "God is good" - moves to an apophatic realisation of His transcendence. To the darkness of God's providence as it touches mortal life there is apophatic darkness which waits upon the beatific vision. There is further the truth that man's understanding is in personal and historical development.
The human subject then has to cope with the darkness of God's providence allowing physical and moral evil, the darkness of His transcendent nature, the darkness arising from a limited personal development and the darkness arising from a limited historical development - a darkness being experienced in Europe with the emergence of the reformation.
A symbol may of course, combine opposites but I sense in this picture that the darkness surrounding the lady is ultimately benign.
Part 6
make a solution. Hope springs eternal.
Dealing with this portrait, I am distinguishing between overall architectonics and "secrets". Architectonics are clearly visible to everyone. I contrast them with "secrets" which require time and attention, indeed a deal of time if they are to be recognised. So the purpose of the chips might be just the secrets, for a chip gives the opportunity of a secret, a face for example.
All the upright columns have chips, the Pope's column, the column of life and the humanist - Lutheran column. The grey bridge overarching has faults in the stone rather chips - every thinker has his bias, maybe.
Chips happen in the course of time through accidents of one sort or another. They correspond then to time in the theme "Truth the Daughter of Time", Thomas More's Theme, Mary Tudor's motto.
Unlike the blood red wall, chips do not prevent the function of the column they are in. They illustrate fault, I suggest. "Humanum est errare" - or as Our Lord put it with regard to the human proclamation of the Gospel: "It is necessary that scandals will come".
Chips in columns are to be expected. The contrast is the blood red wall which represents a sort of triumph of evil over good. The function of the structure is lost.
Dealing with this portrait, I am distinguishing between overall architectonics and "secrets". Architectonics are clearly visible to everyone. I contrast them with "secrets" which require time and attention, indeed a deal of time if they are to be recognised. So the purpose of the chips might be just the secrets, for a chip gives the opportunity of a secret, a face for example.
All the upright columns have chips, the Pope's column, the column of life and the humanist - Lutheran column. The grey bridge overarching has faults in the stone rather chips - every thinker has his bias, maybe.
Chips happen in the course of time through accidents of one sort or another. They correspond then to time in the theme "Truth the Daughter of Time", Thomas More's Theme, Mary Tudor's motto.
Unlike the blood red wall, chips do not prevent the function of the column they are in. They illustrate fault, I suggest. "Humanum est errare" - or as Our Lord put it with regard to the human proclamation of the Gospel: "It is necessary that scandals will come".
Chips in columns are to be expected. The contrast is the blood red wall which represents a sort of triumph of evil over good. The function of the structure is lost.
Part 5
camps, the dismissal of revelation lies ahead.
The artist, in an inchoate way, is aware of the problem facing Christendom. There is the pillar of truth, which is at once supported and threatened by the papacy. There is the pillar representing "modernity" and the power of the mind to discover things. When things break down in sheer power and lies, you get the blood red wall.
What is the solution to the problem? The artist is aware of wonderful theologians like John Fisher or perhaps more significantly Erasmus (patron of Holbein). It was said of Erasmus (who held respect with both Catholics and Protestants) that if he had accepted to be a Cardinal he might have resolved the Reformation issue. The solution to the issue then is a bridge between the pillar of truth and the pillar of naturally know truth. The artist has constructed a stone bridge moving betwixt the two pillars. A couple of the stones are pointed and make a point towards the pillar of truth - or perhaps point to it.
The word for priest - one of them - is pontifex, Bridge Builder. In that time, theological truth belonged especially to priests. Yet the grey bridge in the area of the main column is already in full light. The light of intellect has its autonomy. In the picture it ascends as a bridge to meet the column of modernity just where the picture ends.
I recall reading my father's diary for 1939. Disaster looms. The mind pulls together everything that might make a solution. Hope springs eternal.
The artist, in an inchoate way, is aware of the problem facing Christendom. There is the pillar of truth, which is at once supported and threatened by the papacy. There is the pillar representing "modernity" and the power of the mind to discover things. When things break down in sheer power and lies, you get the blood red wall.
What is the solution to the problem? The artist is aware of wonderful theologians like John Fisher or perhaps more significantly Erasmus (patron of Holbein). It was said of Erasmus (who held respect with both Catholics and Protestants) that if he had accepted to be a Cardinal he might have resolved the Reformation issue. The solution to the issue then is a bridge between the pillar of truth and the pillar of naturally know truth. The artist has constructed a stone bridge moving betwixt the two pillars. A couple of the stones are pointed and make a point towards the pillar of truth - or perhaps point to it.
The word for priest - one of them - is pontifex, Bridge Builder. In that time, theological truth belonged especially to priests. Yet the grey bridge in the area of the main column is already in full light. The light of intellect has its autonomy. In the picture it ascends as a bridge to meet the column of modernity just where the picture ends.
I recall reading my father's diary for 1939. Disaster looms. The mind pulls together everything that might make a solution. Hope springs eternal.
Part 4
need of reform. This would square with the year 1537.
To the opposite side of the Pope's column is a square column in the full light of day. There is a chip in it and possibly a face, a I don't know. The column represents, I think, truth discovered by reason's native power. It represents Luther's Sola Scriptura but also the humanists' discovery of ancient Greece and Rome - The Renaissance. It anticipates modern science, modern philosophy, and modern history.
It was Aquinas (d 1274) who realised that within the realm of nature, the human intellect had the power of concluding to what is, to being. Hitherto such power had been closely associated with and seen in dependence on the d:vine working in the soul and mind. So gradually a structure ascends which is man's natural achievement. It is quite distinct from the pillar of truth and here is a problem for Christendom. How is natural truth to be related to divine revelation and the inscrutable ways of God? Is man destined to forget the pillar of truth and live in a world simply ef his own constructions? Can this apply even to his own salvation, and is this the meaning of Sola Scripture?
The point is that, following Aquinas, this column is going to be ongoing. At the end of his life, Aquinas declared he would write no more. Compared with God, his writing was straw. I personally wonder whether he did not see that the column of naturally known truth would not grow and overwhelm the pillar of truth. Straw burns. Disaster, The Gulag Archipelago, Jewish murder in concentration camps, the dismissal of revelation lies ahead.
To the opposite side of the Pope's column is a square column in the full light of day. There is a chip in it and possibly a face, a I don't know. The column represents, I think, truth discovered by reason's native power. It represents Luther's Sola Scriptura but also the humanists' discovery of ancient Greece and Rome - The Renaissance. It anticipates modern science, modern philosophy, and modern history.
It was Aquinas (d 1274) who realised that within the realm of nature, the human intellect had the power of concluding to what is, to being. Hitherto such power had been closely associated with and seen in dependence on the d:vine working in the soul and mind. So gradually a structure ascends which is man's natural achievement. It is quite distinct from the pillar of truth and here is a problem for Christendom. How is natural truth to be related to divine revelation and the inscrutable ways of God? Is man destined to forget the pillar of truth and live in a world simply ef his own constructions? Can this apply even to his own salvation, and is this the meaning of Sola Scripture?
The point is that, following Aquinas, this column is going to be ongoing. At the end of his life, Aquinas declared he would write no more. Compared with God, his writing was straw. I personally wonder whether he did not see that the column of naturally known truth would not grow and overwhelm the pillar of truth. Straw burns. Disaster, The Gulag Archipelago, Jewish murder in concentration camps, the dismissal of revelation lies ahead.
Archtectonics - a series of articles about the allegories seen in this painting
ARCHITECTONICS
THE MAIN PILLAR - A SYMBOL?
One of the decorations on the main pillar appears to be a serpent. One could think of Eve, but I recalled the quotation of Christ, be as wise as a serpent and as innocent as doves. The serpent was thought to keep its life by keeping its head. 50 I set out looking for doves - one of the decorations could be a multitude of dove wings. The other decorations appear to be broken bread rolls and vine leaves - Eucharistic symbolism. In a letter to Timothy, 5t Paul describes the place where God dwells with man, The Church, as the pillar and bulwark of the truth.
Could the physical pillar then be representing Christian truth as it formed Christian society in a day by day and week by week way in the late middle ages - perhaps before that world had broken irrevocably into Reformed churches set against the Church of the Counter Reformation?
If this column was a symbol, might the other columns and structures also be symbolic so that the five structures each have a distinct significance and we have an allegory in paint?
The allegory then would express the artist's mind, his vision of the times he lived in, the cure for its problems, unless of course, he was under instruction from someone else.
THE MAIN PILLAR - A SYMBOL?
One of the decorations on the main pillar appears to be a serpent. One could think of Eve, but I recalled the quotation of Christ, be as wise as a serpent and as innocent as doves. The serpent was thought to keep its life by keeping its head. 50 I set out looking for doves - one of the decorations could be a multitude of dove wings. The other decorations appear to be broken bread rolls and vine leaves - Eucharistic symbolism. In a letter to Timothy, 5t Paul describes the place where God dwells with man, The Church, as the pillar and bulwark of the truth.
Could the physical pillar then be representing Christian truth as it formed Christian society in a day by day and week by week way in the late middle ages - perhaps before that world had broken irrevocably into Reformed churches set against the Church of the Counter Reformation?
If this column was a symbol, might the other columns and structures also be symbolic so that the five structures each have a distinct significance and we have an allegory in paint?
The allegory then would express the artist's mind, his vision of the times he lived in, the cure for its problems, unless of course, he was under instruction from someone else.
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