An artwork on Galleree from Minneapolis Institute of Art.
About the artwork
Christus Consolator1851
Artist: Ary Scheffer
Dutch, 1795–1858
Christ at top center, wearing pink and blue garment, seated on a cloud; woman in white clings to Christ's PL arm; hands of reclining man in LRC have been freed from shackles, held in Christ's PL hand; another black captive at L edge holds his shackled wrists toward Christ; woman at L kneels over dead child at Christ's feet; adoring male and female figures at L and R edges and top corners
25 5/8 x 34 1/2 in. (65.09 x 87.63 cm) (sight)
36 1/4 x 46 in. (92.08 x 116.84 cm) (outer frame)
Oil on canvas
Painting
Netherlands
19th century
Given in memory of Rev. D. J. Nordling by Gethsemane Lutheran Church, Dassel, Minnesota
In the stillness of a mid-nineteenth century studio, Ary Scheffer meticulously blended colors on his palette, crafting a vision steeped in compassion and hope. He was a noted French painter, celebrated for his ability to capture the essence of human sorrow and redemption. Among his esteemed works was *Christus Consolator*, a painting that spoke to the heart of suffering, an echo of the sacred words from Luke 4:18: "I have come to comfort those who are brokenhearted and to announce to the prisoners their deliverance."
As the brush glided across the canvas, a haunting story began to unfold. To the left, the shadows of despair took form. A woman knelt, grief etched into her visage, as she mourned the loss of her child, a testament to the depths of a broken heart. Behind her, figures emerged from the shadows of sorrow: an exile clutching a walking stick, a castaway grasping remnants of a shattered ship, and a soul who chose the finality of a dagger in despair’s embrace.
Among these sorrowful souls stood Torquato Tasso, the tormented poet of the sixteenth century, shackled in madness. He was an echo from the past, a reflection of the pain that transcends time. Alongside him, figures representing the three stages of womanhood—maiden, mother, and crone—gathered, each carrying their own burdens of existence.
On the opposing side of the canvas, Christ stood as a beacon of liberation—the essence of hope in the darkest of hours. Here too were the oppressed from every era, their stories woven into the very fabric of humanity. A Roman slave, a medieval serf, a fighter for Greek independence, and a fettered African slave gathered around him, seeking solace from their chains.
With a gentle but powerful command, Christ extended his left hand towards a dying man, whose spirit bore the scars of a failed uprising—Poland's shattered dreams of independence from Russian hands lay at his side in the form of broken weapons. Nearby, a repentant Mary Magdalene knelt in reverence, embodying the grace of forgiveness and the promise of redemption.
In *Christus Consolator*, Scheffer encapsulated not just the suffering of individuals, but the collective heartache of humanity, unified in their quest for peace and deliverance. As viewers stood before this masterpiece, they felt the weight of the narrative, a reminder that amid sorrow, there exists the promise of comfort and the enduring strength of the human spirit—a tale of hope in despair, woven with compassion and light.
About the artist
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