This is the first painting of Vasily Polenov's Life of Christ Cycle. With the advances of science and the spread of secularism, the second half of the 19th century in Europe was marked by a large scale abandonment of traditional religious teaching and practice. That doesn't mean people had given up on the spiritual quest, but they were reading the Gospels in a new light and asking new questions.
So, while Vasily Polenov had drifted from the Russian Orthodox Church, he was still very much interested in the person of Jesus, though as a historical figure, not divine. Indeed, among his contemporaries there were not a few who believed Jesus never existed and that the Gospels were no more real than the ancient Greek and Roman myths.
Vasily believed Jesus to be a "great soul," a teacher of the highest ethic or morality. His Life of Christ Cycle would present Jesus as very close to the viewer—in solidarity with ordinary people in their simple feelings of joy, sorrow, suffering and hope. It is said, that while people may have been leaving the churches, Polenov's paintings of Jesus' life brought many to a new faith. No artist can predict how his/her paintings will impact people in the future. If we didn't know the story, we might not know the persons depicted as Jesus and Mary. But isn't that what Christian mystery is— not an impossible puzzle to be solved, but God so close, we can miss it. I think that's it.
Here, Mary is on her way through the ups and downs, the twists and turns of the hill country to see Elizabeth, her elder relative who is six months pregnant. The people who first saw Vasily's Christ paintings were amazed at his new, brilliant-light color palette. Mary has just passed an ancient, gnarled olive tree. The path around the mountain edge is narrow. Notice how the light hits the stoney path—so different from the light of Europe. The mountains and hills are very accurately depicted. Vasily had spent long months in the land of Jesus to learn the light, the landscape and the people.
The Gospel doesn't tell us Mary carried anything along the way, Polenov has imagined it, and rightly so. This was a long trek by foot and Mary intended to stay with her relative for some time. What woman visits without bringing gifts?!
No halo; no starry, gold trimmed, powder-blue mantle, but a young pregnant woman wearing the colors of the poor. Mary is off to share good news and there is light all around her.
And here is a photo of the huge painting titled, "The Appearance of Christ to the People," by Alexander Ivanov (1806 -1858). It took Ivanov twenty years to complete his opus magnum (1837-57). The artist has taken liberties, combining several gospel accounts into one. We see John the Baptist standing at the very edge of the River Jordan. The apostles John, Peter, Andrew and Nathaniel stand behind John. Young and old have found their way to the Jordan. Some of these have known only struggle and sorrow—folks who could do with some good news. Center-right in the front of the crowd, we see the rich, young man who, looking a little snarky perhaps, isn't ready to follow Jesus. We see Jesus, wearing red and blue, alone in the distance. Some people have already turned their attention towards him and the Roman soldiers on horseback already have him in their sights.
It is said that Vasily Polenov saw Ivanov's tremendous work in the museum when he was a boy and that it inspired him to create his own extensive Life of Christ Cycle.
