Summer Religion. 'Eva' by Elisabet Stienstra and 'Adoring Shepherd' by Maarten van Heemskerck, Alkmaar, The Netherlands
This Summer the North-Holland city of Alkmaar is caught up in religious throes. Among the slogans are 'Climb to Heaven', gracing the St Laurentius Church, and 'Pilgrimage (Bede-vaart)', a series of sculptures placed on the former bulwarks of the city.
So we took the train up to Alkmaar from Amsterdam - a mere half hour or so - to look at Maarten van Heemskerck's (1498-1574) altarpiece (1538-1542) in the Church.
In the wake of Alkmaar turning Protestant 1570/1572 there was no longer need for such a Romish thing. But the city's purse-minded Calvinist government couldn't bear destroying good money, so the artwork was sold to Sweden in 1581. Now the cathedral of Linköping has seen fit to allow the St Laurentius Church to display what was once its own masterpiece.
I've long been an admirer of Van Heemskerck, and I was utterly 'blown away' by this amazing art. But it would be tiresome for Flickr to allow me to wax on...
Anyway, here in the inset is a Shepherd on that altarpiece clothed in perhaps a wolf's skin to signify he saved his sheep. He's bending solicitously over the Christchild, a Sheepsaver-to-be...
And then on those bulwark's 'Pilgrimage' is this fabulous Eva (2018) by Elisabet Stienstra (1967-). The connection is clear, at least in my mind. The Virgin, whose Issue our Shepherd is admiring, in Biblical Lore is an immediate descendant of Eve. In this photo she's directly gazing at Wolfkiller Shepherd who's admiring her Fruit. And let's not even speculate on her Broomstick!
Ah! religious mysticism!
Summer Religion. 'Eva' by Elisabet Stienstra and 'Adoring Shepherd' by Maarten van Heemskerck, Alkmaar, The Netherlands
This Summer the North-Holland city of Alkmaar is caught up in religious throes. Among the slogans are 'Climb to Heaven', gracing the St Laurentius Church, and 'Pilgrimage (Bede-vaart)', a series of sculptures placed on the former bulwarks of the city.
So we took the train up to Alkmaar from Amsterdam - a mere half hour or so - to look at Maarten van Heemskerck's (1498-1574) altarpiece (1538-1542) in the Church.
In the wake of Alkmaar turning Protestant 1570/1572 there was no longer need for such a Romish thing. But the city's purse-minded Calvinist government couldn't bear destroying good money, so the artwork was sold to Sweden in 1581. Now the cathedral of Linköping has seen fit to allow the St Laurentius Church to display what was once its own masterpiece.
I've long been an admirer of Van Heemskerck, and I was utterly 'blown away' by this amazing art. But it would be tiresome for Flickr to allow me to wax on...
Anyway, here in the inset is a Shepherd on that altarpiece clothed in perhaps a wolf's skin to signify he saved his sheep. He's bending solicitously over the Christchild, a Sheepsaver-to-be...
And then on those bulwark's 'Pilgrimage' is this fabulous Eva (2018) by Elisabet Stienstra (1967-). The connection is clear, at least in my mind. The Virgin, whose Issue our Shepherd is admiring, in Biblical Lore is an immediate descendant of Eve. In this photo she's directly gazing at Wolfkiller Shepherd who's admiring her Fruit. And let's not even speculate on her Broomstick!
Ah! religious mysticism!