DIPTYCH: FEAST OF
TABERNACLES (RIGHT PANEL)
This
painting was completed December 29 – 30, 2019 and February 25 – March 24, 2020.
FEAST OF TABERNACLES
Oil on
cradled canvas
4.5’ x 6’
December
29 – 30, 2019 and February 24 – March 25, 2020
A
liberated Hebrew woman—she is wearing kohl and lip dye—invites the female
viewer to join the company of women preparing to celebrate Sukkot, or the Feast
of Tabernacles. While the Left Panel of the diptych depicts the first miracle
of Jesus, the transformation of water to wine at a wedding reception in Cana,
the Right Panel depicts technically Jesus’ last miracle, the transubstantiation
of bread and wine to His Body and Blood, a miracle that is performed everyday
by Catholic priests celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
There are
thematic differences between the Left Panel and the Right Panel. In the Left
Panel Mary is the only woman present; in the Right eleven women—a Hebrew woman
and ten women from different ethnic groups and historical periods in Philippine
history take her place. In the Left Panel the interior is enclosed by secure
walls and windows; in the Right the exterior has open structures. In the Left
Panel there are two men; in the Right Jesus is the only male in the group.
Other
paintings featuring Jesus with His male disciples show us the disciples waiting
to be served. In this painting the women are proactive: they bring offerings
and take action to make their celebration a success. While this painting was
completed within the month celebrating Women’s Day, it is also a statement that
Christianity could not have survived without the devotion, loyalty,
contributions, and support of women, though they have been consistently
downplayed in New Testament stories.
The auditory stimulus I used while painting this is https://www.youtube.com/
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