Unfinished Business #2: Like a Bride Descending…

by Alden Cole on August 11, 2015 · 0 comments

“And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” – The Revelation of St. John the Divine, 21:22

LikeABride1stStateWPA day or two after I had completed the initial egg tempera stage on One • Three • Seven, the painting featured yesterday, I turned my attentions to the second of the prepared 4′ square masonite panels. I was on a roll. Since the first of the mischtechnik paintings had to dry thoroughly before the second stage of applying thin layers of oil color, I was excited about starting number two. My aim: to give visual form to somewhat abstract ideas I had about the archetypal Citadel, which for me personally was based on verbal concepts such as The New Jerusalem, or Zion, possibly Monsalvat; Valhalla even, to extend the conceptual spectrum. My internal visual images were most likely inspired by photographs of Neuschwanstein, the fantasy castle of ‘Mad’ King Ludwig II (1845-1886) of Bavaria near Munich, Germany. Armed with this intention without slavish imitation of my initial inspiration, I launched into the panel with gusto, accomplishing much in what seemed like a relatively short time, although it was realistically a day and a half’s intensive work without watching the clock. Truth to tell I astonished myself with what I had created in such a short time. So taken was I by the power of the white over the earthy Venetian Red, that I was almost loath to add color. Eventually I did though, a few weeks later, after the surface was dry enough to the touch to rework it again. After those first additions of color, there was no turning back…

LikeABrideColoredStateWPLike a Bride Descending • egg tempera and oil paint on masonite panel 48″ x 48″ • collection of the artist.

The addition of color took place in increments, over a period of time stretching from the late ’70s through the mid-’90s. As I moved from New York City to Dayton, ME to Portsmouth, NH and finally in 1986 to Philadelphia, PA the panel moved with me, occasionally receiving my attentions as confidence in my painting abilities increased. To understand my attraction to such subject matter, it would help to have an understanding of the intensity of my childhood experience of Apocalyptic Christianity as received through Adventism, plus my later experiences with the mesmerizing music of Richard Wagner. Sound like a Strange Brew of influences? It worked for me to produce some rather stunning results.

LikeABrideWPFor the sake of direct comparison, here’s the painting as seen in its first stage side-by-side with its current condition, still unfinished. I admittedly have an ongoing fascination with this subject of the Holy Citadel symbolizing Safety and Security, realities which are still dear to my heart, despite the difficulty of their achievement. Regardless of the lack of finish, I love this painting, for many reasons; including the awareness that when I started working on this painting in the spring of 1977 shortly after Easter, I felt like I was finally beginning to paint with a capital P for the very first time in my life – a recurring sensation, as I have discovered over the years. At the time it felt like all my previous artistic expressions in whatever medium were preliminary work in preparation for this painting which was going to be my tribute to the great Renaissance painters Titian and Rembrandt, among others, if you can imagine what a cross between those two masters might create, a blending of northern and southern sensibilities. I have not achieved my goal, but I’m still working on it…
“Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers.” – Alfred Lord Tennyson (6 Aug 1809 – 6 Oct 1892)

1305WPThinking along the lines of Jerusalem and Zion, I’m reminded that on August 11, 1866, one hundred and forty-nine years ago today, one hundred and fifty-seven converts to George Adams Jones’ Church of the Messiah, including forty-eight children, left Jonesport, Maine on the newly built ship Nelly Chapin, headed to the holy land to establish what became known as the American Colony in Jaffa – an ill-fated venture. The story is fascinating, as detailed in The Forerunners by Reed M. Holmes. The circumstances that brought the book into my hands is a story in itself. The upshot of reading Holmes’ book was that I developed a great curiosity about Mormonism, which G.A. Jones’ Church of the Messiah heavily resembled, and which the Adventism I had grown up with shared great similarities of doctrine. So I decided it was time to learn more about this totally American version of Protestantism, that was viewed as heresy by the particular sect in which I grew up. As a result I read First Nephi, the first of the books in The Book of Mormon, over a few days, which convinced me to stop right then and there. The Sturm und Drang of the Biblical Prophets informs Joseph Smith’s writing to such an extent that it was downright repellant, so I stopped reading. It was the voice of a sadistic Jehovah, God of Vengence; it was like being in church again enduring lectures on why I wasn’t ‘good’ enough. I was reminded of the reasons that stimulated my learning to draw with focus in the first place; as a child in church in order to tune out sermons on Sunday morning. I got tired of being told what a terrible sinner I was when I knew in my heart of hearts that I wasn’t one. Anyway, the accompanying book of Doctrine and Covenants that my friend JMH lent me, detailing Mormon development, proved to be much more interesting, revealing the basis of plural marriage and baptism of the dead, among other beiefs, which I found to be fascinating reading actually. Whodathot I’d ever be reading about this religious hybrid that is increasing its hold on the American public’s imagination, and is presently building a new temple on the Parkway here in Philadelphia, designed to last for the ages. TBC…

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