The Art of Lent

The Taking of Christ by Caravaggio
My favorite work of his, then it's St. Paul's conversion, The Fortune Teller and Narcissus

I'll admit it: Holy Week is not one of my favorite weeks on the calendar.
Had they asked me about the dates on the calendar, I'd rather spread out Easter into a week instead of having it on just a Sunday. But then again, it's not always about having fun or celebrating happiness.

So while us Catholics go into an ideally reflective and sober next three days, I'm leaving off the blogging and will have to return on Easter. This isn't really my biggest sacrifice for the Lenten season and if you ask me what it is I'll never tell. I've never been a fan of people who ask and tell you at the same time what it is their giving up for lent, just because I find it a case of bad taste and a little unnecessary (cause I believe only God ought to know what it is you're giving up and why you're doing so). So my short hiatus from blogging is not part of my sacrifice, but a paying of respect for this traditional and very important commemoration of God's entire saving story.

We're rarely talking about religion here on Salt and for some readers, it may look disconnected from the entire model-y, personal diary kind of blogging, but I've always been a "fairly devout" Catholic and Holy Week is part of that (not to mention that this week only comes once in a year, so it's no big trouble for me). But since this is my blog, this special Holy Week post needs to be somewhat right up our alley= meaning art-related, beautiful and definitely important. I present to you the amazing, dramatic and very fitting paintings of Caravaggio.

The Denial of St. Peter

Ecce Homo 

Christ at the Column

The Crowning with Thorns 

The Entombment

The Incredulity of St. Thomas

Again, I'm not asking you to try and be a hardcore Catholic (cause I'm not one as well and just because I don't do that) or to do stuff these next few days, but I believe there's nothing wrong with being a little more hopeful in the religion, you know? Pretty devastating things have been going on and one of the best lessons I've learned from the faith since my consciousness is that, through both  best and worst times, having hope and faith in God's "awesomeness"---put more casually, never fails you. I could definitely attest to that and that's what this post is for.

Have a blessed next three days (and forever) my friends. Keep praying.

I shall see you all soon, hopefully bearing great news.

- Gerard

In Dreams

Ocean Grove Moon by Ken Ahlering

It was one of the most peaceful I've reached...

Out in the middle of the ocean, waves were rolling in tiny ripples, swaying my boat to a still lullaby. Clouds  were pushed aside for the silver full moon. It was this close and huge above me that if I stood up, stretched my hand up I'd touch its cool mercury face.

I was rowing and the water was black and silver, the wind and the moon its painter. I was smiling and rowing to somewhere, slowly, steadily. The moon felt larger and as slow time crept by, it glowed heavier, more heavenly until...

I woke up. By far, it was one of my most beautiful and peaceful dreams. I'm glad to have placed my diary on the floor so the moment I sat up, I wrote this. I went on Google to scout for a painting that'd capture the dream so perfectly and I found Ken Ahlering's painting. It's this close to the dream I had, only difference was that the ocean seemed to stretch  forever and spread in such a huge radius like it covered the face of the Earth . And I couldn't shake it off. 

The moment I got home from class I searched what it meant...A full moon, they say, represents completion and wholeness, the ocean stands for one's emotional state. Rowing signifies a journey of spiritual progress and  of the emotions...

Interesting what one finds in dreams.. I never forget what Dr. Mariano taught us about dreams, that when we dream, we've got a foot on conscious ground...It's a start. And if we all go philosophical on this, I believe this dream is my start to finally reaching some honest-to-goodness emotional and spiritual age. To take from my own writing, this dream translates to me, having a foot on a new, older age. And I'm glad, cause I honestly feel it.
Maybe that's the reason why I've felt so peaceful, so serene and never, in my dream life, so sure and unafraid of the ocean. Tonight (I hope) I'll be dreaming of more things...Better things.

- Gerard

The Tightrope Walker

 Tightrope Walker by Everett Shinn

The poem I've worked on (actually there's two of them) is supposedly a poem of a character I'm working on for my story. I've mentioned this before and I gave it a thought, whether or not it's worth putting on my blog and realized, it is. Not because it's great, but because I want to. And so I looked up a photo of "tightrope walker" and stumbled on this haunting painting from the 20s by Everett Shinn with the same title. Though my tightrope walker (also the title of my poem) is performing for an old American circus, probably sometime in the 40s I'd say, this painting is definitely a beautiful representation of what the poem could paint in your head. And of course, just look at it, it's an amazing painting. So, I just had to use it for this entry...

Anyway, here it is, my The Tightrope Walker...

The Tightrope Walker

I'm balancing a long, bending stick in my hands

as I shake along with the rope.

If I do break a sweat, I would-but I have so little of time to bother.

Behind me the setting moon...up front, the rising sun.

I'm a tightrope walker, the world my audience.

I keep mum, try my best to keep balance,

to be strong and guarded from the winds...

But you grab me from the crowd and for the first time,

I've felt a walker for one...

Still the sun ahead and the moon in the past,

I'm walking for you now, despite the world watching,

despite time flying...

My fear now is not so much of falling,

of failing to meet the sun while it's still there.

I fear that when I do fall, that when I do reach the sun, you'd be gone---

Bored out of your wits.

I'm sorry it's taking long, I'm sorry I've been here for ages,

but don't you see that I'm balancing,

walking

and pushing

for you?

I'm way past the middle, you're still in the crowd and the world gasps...

Will I make it before you leave?

And will you find me in the crowd when this tent's down...

When we're all just ordinary people

instead of tightrope walkers and spectators? 

---G. Gotladera

St. Donald Duck

American Prayer, by Gottfried Helnwein 2000

Don't get giddy to press "Comment" and say I'm full of BS what with all my "prayers work" post and stuff because of the title...Before you say something about it, read on...

Look at what Gottfried Helnwein (whose birthday falls on October 8, along with John Lennon) painted back in 2000. I did a report this morning for Visual Arts on the international art scene covering June-December of 2004 and probably the one that really stood out was Gottfriend Helnwein and his, bizarre, incredibly meaningful paintings and photos.

I seriously love Donald Duck and one of my best friends, Tj, had known this enough to make me bag with Donald Duck on it and bring me a pen from Hong Kong Disneyland. For some reason I find myself more like Donald than the very famous Mickey, but people think I'm more of a Mickey than a Donald.

Well, after this, I fell in more love with Donald Duck. Though Helnwein's painting (all of his works actually) has that undercurrent of some subtly sick expression and darkness to it, I couldn't help but smile when the apparition of Donald Duck is gazing straight at me, like he's about to crack some joke. Study it, cause it's supposed to say something more about American culture, religion and childhood than what you instantly see.

But it's really more haunting than humorous right? After my homeworks, I'd jump right into this painting and check it out for myself.

.Gerard