XVIII: The Sanctity of Children

Tell Your Friends About "How Great Thou ART!"

Beauty does not lie in the face.  It lies in the harmony between man and his industry.  Beauty is expression.  When I paint a mother, I try to render her beautiful by the mere look she gives her child.”  Jean Francois Millet

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Morning Coffee with Barry Stebbing                              

Breakfast in Bed  by Mary Cassatt

No one painted the sanctity of mother and child better than the American artist, Mary Cassatt (1844-1926).  She came from a very wealthy family near Philadelphia and always aspired to be an artist, something adamantly opposed by her father.  Needless, when she was of age, she departed for France to study and begin her career.  Over the next several years her paintings would be rejected time and again by the prestigious Salon.  Eventually exhibiting with the French Impressionists under the persuasion of her friend, Edgar Degas, Mary Cassatt would soon become renown for her paintings, and is now considered one of the greatest female artists in the pages of art history.

Vincent Van Gogh lived during her times and was on the periphery of the Impressionists, painting  in a somewhat similar style.  Though Van Gogh never married or had children, he had a heart-felt reverence for this sanctity of mother and child, writing to his brother Theo, I think that I see something deeper, more eternal than the ocean in the expression of the eyes of a little baby when it wakes in the morning and coos or laughs because it sees the sun shining on its cradle.              

Young Mother Sewing  by Mary Cassatt

Now that Mother’s Day has passed, I would like to share a word with all those Godly women who have been barren throughout their years.   It seems to leave an especially empty place, especially around Christmas and of course, Mother’s Day.  As glorious as this calling of mother and child is, Paul would state, … I say to the unmarried and to the widow:  It is good for them to remain even as I am (1Cor 7:8); in other words, to remain unwed and place your mind and energy in serving God.  After all, that is the 1st Commandment, and it is this total commitment to loving God that is the silver lining in being consecrated and living  solely for Him.   Romans 12:1 states, Offer your body up to Him, holy and acceptable, which is your reasonable act of worship.  This consecration has been well practiced by the monastics throughout the centuries.           

Ironically, like Van Gogh and many other artists of that era, Mary Cassatt never married or had children.  Possibly, the words of Michelangelo holds true for them all,  I have only too much of a wife in this art of mine…My children will be the works I leave behind me.                                                                                          

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Art History Tid-Bit:  Mary Cassatt was very influential with wealthy Americas in purchasing European art.  During the latter part of the 19th century, many would visit her in France and ask her recommendations.  To which, she would adamantly promote the French Impressionists.  It is likely that the vast majority of Impressionistic paintings we now have hanging in museums throughout the country are a tribute to her insight in patronizing Impressionism.        

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Coffee Memo:  And so, the question is raised, “Who in the Bible besides Jesus would you most like to have a cup of coffee with?  Hmmm….?  For me, Paul would be a great choice as, serving him a good cup of dark roast could be considered a ministry for his weary soul and possibly put a smile on his face.  Maybe even open him up to talk about his travails, which I would love to hear.  My question is, Would he take cream and sugar?

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