Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Saint of the Month: St. Cleopas


St. Cleopas

AKA: Possibly "Clopas."  There seems to be two schools of thought about whether Cleopas and Clopas are the same guy.
Feast Day: September 25 in Catholicism; however, October 30 in Eastern Orthodoxy and November 10 for the Copts.

Really Existed? He's in scripture, which can be anything from absolute proof to no evidence at all, depending on your mindset.
Timeframe: Would have likely been 10 to 25 years older than Jesus.
Place: Jerusalem. 

Credentials: By tradition.
Martyrdom: None.

Patron Saint of: No known patronage.
Symbolism: Shown by artists in the context of the story of the Road to Emmaus.

The Road to Emmaus is a concept I'd heard of, but I didn't really know what it was, because I am an ignoramus, and didn't pay attention in Sunday school, and haven't made it past Jonah in the Bible.  It turns out that it is one of the first sightings of the resurrected Jesus Christ, as narrated in Luke 24:13-27. 

Here's the story: Two folks are walking towards Emmaus, a village outside of Jerusalem, talking about how sad they are about this whole crucifixion business that went down over the weekend.  As they walk, they encounter the risen Jesus, but he's incognito and they don't recognize him.  He asks why they're so blue, and they say that there was this awesome prophet who they liked and thought might be the Messiah, but he got killed by the Romans on Friday.  At which point Jesus says "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!  Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?" which is actually maybe a little hard on them.  

Jesus goes on to "expound... to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself."  That confused me a bit, since I tend to conflate "Scriptures" with "Gospels," and it can be deduced that the Gospels were in fact not yet written at this moment; however, what's really going on of course is that Jesus is citing Old Testament writings that presumably point towards his own coming and recent execution -- although, at this point he still hasn't let Cleopas and his companion know who he is.

About this time, they get to Emmaus.  Jesus looks like he's going to keep going, but they persuade him to overnight with them.  However, at dinner he first reveals his identity to them and then vanishes.  They are all like "OMG," and even though its getting dark they start back to Jerusalem right away to find the disciples, who are still wide awake when they get there and already discussing the other Jesus sightings that have been happening.  At that point, Jesus appears among them again -- but from here on, there is no special mention of St. Cleopas, who is just one person in a small crowd of disciples and apostles.

Now then, there is apparently another figure who shows up in the Gospel of John and various apocryphal writings names Clopas.  It's reasonable to wonder if there's a typo and Cleopas and Clopas are the same guy, in which case things get interesting for St. Cleopas, as Clopas is thought to be a brother of St. Joseph, who is of course Jesus's... well... earthly father?  Adoptive human father?  Step-dad?  This would make him -- him, Cleopas -- Jesus's uncle, which would be both quite an honor and help explain why he was feeling so bad on the Road to Emmaus.  No less a figure than the great Bishop Epiphanius "adds that Joseph and Cleopas were brothers, sons of 'Jacob, surnamed Panther.'"  This last raises the intriguing thought that, if we were to apply modern Western naming conventions, Jesus's last name would be "Panther," which would certainly be rather a rather badass revelation here in the English-speaking world.  This is no doubt complete hogwash, of course.

Cleopas's sainthood appears to be a matter of being close to the scene of the action, and perhaps his rumored family connections.  For such a universally recognized saint, he is by no means a major figure.  He is not mentioned, for example, in any of the four volumes of the L&T hagiographical collection.

Have a great feast day of St. Cleopas!

St. Cleopas (middle) as portrayed by Rowan LeCompte and Irene Matz LeCompte, Third Station of the Resurrection: The Walk to Emmaus (detail), 1970, in the National Cathedral, Washington, D.C.   Blogger Victoria Emily Jones, who also took this photograph, discusses why St. Cleopas's companion is often thought to be a woman, and shows great additional examples of the Emmaus meet-up as imagined by artists. 

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

The Ladder of Art -- Week #41


Cast your votes for up to four of these seven artists by Saturday September 28.  For clarifications, consult the Ladder of Art FAQ.


Week #40 saw three newcomers all survive, while two veterans fell off the Ladder -- the first time that's happened, if memory serves.  Let's see if this week's newbs, both gentlemen of the 20th century, have the same good fortune!


Last Week's Results

1. Canaletto: 7
2. Daubigny: 5
2.
Judd: 5
4. Della Quercia: 3
4. Amigoni: 3
6. Kitaj: 2
6. Ivanov: 2



This Week's Contest




Robert Motherwell
1915 - 1991
American

Tournament Record: Tied for 401st. Lost to the Master of Moulins and Arthur Dove. 8 votes for, 15 votes against (.348).






Wilfredo Lam
1902 - 1982
Cuban; worked in France

Tournament Record: Tied for 401st. Lost to Frantisek Kupka and Thomas Cole. 8 votes for, 15 votes against (.348).





Jacopo Amigoni
1685-1752
Spanish

Tournament Record: Placed 403rd. Lost to Carl Andre and Alma-Tadema. 9 votes for, 17 votes against (.346).
  • Tied for Fourth, Week #40






Jacopo Della Quercia
1374 - 1438
Siennese

Tournament Record: Placed 404th. Lost to Sir Henry Raeburn, beat Francesco Primaticcio, and lost to Ljubov Popova. 10 votes for, 19 votes against (.345).
  • Tied for Fourth, Week #40






Donald Judd
1928 - 1994
American

Tournament Record: Tied for 405th. Lost to Frida Kahlo, beat Allen Jones, and lost to Gwen John. 13 votes for, 25 votes against (.342).
  • Tied for Second, Week #40.






William Merritt Chase
1849 - 1916
American

Tournament Record: Tied for 439th. Beaten by Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin and Christo. 6 votes for, 14 votes against (.300).
  • Placed Second, Week #26.
  • Tied for First, Week #27.
  • Placed First, Week #29.
  • Placed First, Week #31.
  • Tied for Second, Week #33. 
  • Tied for Second again, Week #34. 
  • Tied for First, Week #35. 
  • Placed First in Week #37. 
  • Placed First in Week #39.






Charles-François Daubigny
1817 - 1878
French

Tournament Record: Placed 505th.  Lost to Salvador Dali and Aelbert Cuyp. 4 votes for, 26 votes against (.133).
  • Finished First in Ladder Week #2.
  • Finished First again in Week #4.
  • ...and again in Week #6.
  • ...and in Week #8.
  • ...and in Week #10. 
  • ...and in Week #12. 
  • ...and in Week #14. 
  • ...and in Week #16.
  • ...and in Week #18. 
  • ...and in Week #20. 
  • Tied for First, Week #22. 
  • Placed Third in Week #24. 
  • Tied for First, Week #25.
  • Tied for First, Week #27. 
  • Tied for Second, Week #29. 
  • Placed Second, Week #30. 
  • Placed Second again, Week #31.
  • And again, Week #32. 
  • Tied for Second, Week #33.
  • Tied for Second again in Week #34. 
  • Tied for First, Week #35.
  • Tied for Second, Week #37. 
  • Tied for Second again in Week #38.
  • And again, Week #39. 
  • And again, Week #40.





Cast up to four votes in the comments by Saturday morning!

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

The Songs of the Fifty States: Georgia!


Hale Woodruff, Georgia Landscape, c.1935.
Georgia!

Size: 153,909 km2 (24th)

2018 Population: 10,519,475 (8th)

Population Density (new!): 65.4/km2 (18th)

Statehood: 1788 (4th).  Succeeded 1861; Readmitted 1870.

American Human Development Index: 4.88 (32nd)


Art Mecca:


I recently flew into Atlanta and went on a driveabout through ten states and collecting new counties -- 93 of them, in fact.  But who's counting.  It was my first chance to put some of the museum-scouting I've done in these state write-ups to good use, as I visited South Carolina's art Mecca -- which was, you know, pretty good.  
 
Now, Georgia.  The unambiguous top-ranking art Mecca of Georgia is Atlanta's High Museum of Art.  I didn't go there.  For practical considerations -- if it makes sense to talk about practical considerations when I am on a driving excursion -- I went instead to The Columbus Museum.  We're talking about the art-and-history museum of Columbus, Georgia, and not The Columbus Museum of Art, which is in Columbus, Ohio.  Another way to tell them apart is that the Georgia one is dot-com, and the Ohio one is dot-org.

I usually snub mixed-mission museums, figuring they'll be neither fish nor fowl.  But you know what?  I was impressed with the Columbus Museum's art collection and historical content both!  I mean, it's not the Chicago Art Institute, of course.  Columbus is a small city, a bit on the gritty side, and you would not expect hot and cold running Botticellis.  But they've got a small collection of very nice American pictures, with foci on landscapes and American impressionism.  Although the historical part of the museum has a local focus, the art collection does not, and is mostly from the northeastern states.  They also have some unusually well-chosen stuff from the last 25 years.  And it was all free!  Free!  Highly recommended.  Worth the side trip if you're heading up I-85. 



Michael 5000's Georgia

First Visited: May 31, 1994 (25th)
Most Recently Visited: September 14, 2019 (2nd)

Run In: No
Raced In: No.
Have Admired the Visual Arts In: Yes (see above).
Have Slept Overnight In: Yes.

Counties Visited: 57/159 (4th)
% Complete: 35.8% (33rd, up from 44th last month)



Mrs. 5000's Counties Visited: 7/159 (45th)
% Complete: 4.4% (49th)
Mrs.5000 First Visited: c. 1980 (order unclear)
Mrs.5000 Most Recently Visited: May 15, 2003 (36th)



Atlas of All Roads Traveled



Plans and Aspirations

Except for its gargantuan airport, I didn't see much of Atlanta.  It's a major American city that might be fun to visit, especially if there was a conference or something (one visits it so often when playing Pandemic).  Plus, there's the High Museum to see.  Plus, I need to run there.  And if Mrs.5K gets her blood up for counties, Georgia is obviously a state where she could make a lot of hay.  Finally, I have the idea that it would be jolly someday to fly out to Miami and take the train home, and that would necessarily involve some Georgiaing.

--

Sunday, September 15, 2019

The Ladder of Art -- Week #40


Cast your votes for up to four of these seven artists by Saturday September 21.  For clarifications, consult the Ladder of Art FAQ.


Well, where were we?



Last Week's Results

1. Chase: 6
2. Daubigny: 4
2.
Kitaj: 4
2. Ivanov: 4
5. de Stael: 3
5. Marin: 2
5. Hayter: 1



This Week's Contest



Jacopo Amigoni
1685-1752
Spanish

Tournament Record: Placed 403rd. Lost to Carl Andre and Alma-Tadema. 9 votes for, 17 votes against (.346).





Jacopo Della Quercia
1374 - 1438
Siennese

Tournament Record: Placed 404th. Lost to Sir Henry Raeburn, beat Francesco Primaticcio, and lost to Ljubov Popova. 10 votes for, 19 votes against (.345).





Donald Judd
1928 - 1994
American

Tournament Record: Tied for 405th. Lost to Frida Kahlo, beat Allen Jones, and lost to Gwen John. 13 votes for, 25 votes against (.342).





Alexander Ivanov
1806 - 1858
Russian; worked in Italy

Tournament Record: Placed 407th. Defeated Alexei von Jawlensky, then lost to Ingres and Ghiberti. 12 votes for, 24 votes against (.333).
  • Tied for Second in Week #39






R B Kitaj
1932 - 2007
American; worked in Britain

Tournament Record: Tied for 410th. Lost to Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Pierre Bonnard. 8 votes for, 16 votes against (.333).
  • Tied for Second in Week #38.
  • Tied for Second in Week #39, too.





Canaletto
1697 - 1768
Italian (Venetian); also worked in England

Tournament Record: Placed 448th. Beat Robert Campin, then lost to Caravaggio and Alexander Calder. 7 votes for, 17 votes against (.292).
  • Placed First in Week #24. 
  • Placed First again in Week #26. 
  • Placed First again in Week #28. 
  • And again in Week #30. 
  • And again in Week #32. 
  • And again in Week #34.
  • And again in Week #36. 
  • And again in Week #38.





Charles-François Daubigny
1817 - 1878
French

Tournament Record: Placed 505th.  Lost to Salvador Dali and Aelbert Cuyp. 4 votes for, 26 votes against (.133).
  • Finished First in Ladder Week #2.
  • Finished First again in Week #4.
  • ...and again in Week #6.
  • ...and in Week #8.
  • ...and in Week #10. 
  • ...and in Week #12. 
  • ...and in Week #14. 
  • ...and in Week #16.
  • ...and in Week #18. 
  • ...and in Week #20. 
  • Tied for First, Week #22. 
  • Placed Third in Week #24. 
  • Tied for First, Week #25.
  • Tied for First, Week #27. 
  • Tied for Second, Week #29. 
  • Placed Second, Week #30. 
  • Placed Second again, Week #31.
  • And again, Week #32. 
  • Tied for Second, Week #33.
  • Tied for Second again in Week #34. 
  • Tied for First, Week #35.
  • Tied for Second, Week #37. 
  • Tied for Second again in Week #38.
  • And again, Week #39.




Cast up to four votes in the comments by Saturday morning!