This article is based on this Dutch article of Martijn Benders
What preceded: A misplaced neocon in the Literature Fund pontificates that the Jewish refugee Adorno had no right to criticize America since he should have been grateful for being able to flee.
The Grateful Refugee is, of course, an archetypal right-wing theme. First, you flatten their cities with your cynical war games, and then the refugee must express gratitude and, preferably, get lost as soon as possible. Or better yet, accommodate them in the region.
But in the same spirit, you could argue that Jesus Christ should have shown gratitude on the cross. Why the long face? At least you were allowed to hang here, right?
And since we are already engaged in sacrilege, let’s rearrange the palette of the old masters. If Jesus, instead of the traditional pale canvas, had a more bronzed complexion, how would the devotion of the white crowd hold up? Would their reverence ripple like a pond into which a stone has been thrown, their faces twisted into a grimace of cultural dissonance?
Let us conduct a thorough examination of the crucifixion to see what exactly was going on. We begin with this magnificent painting by Garafano, whose real name was Benvenuto Tisi. Allegedly a devout Christian, but since the Church was pretty much the sole financier for artists at the time (along with banking), the motive to be Christian is somewhat forcefully present. So let’s look at the work: do we see anything that didn’t fit the public image?
What stands out when we analyze this painting?
Why would Jesus place his hand in such a way on a chopped-down tree, as if he wants to bless the tree? Not just a tree, there are also two mushroom-like growths at the tree’s base. Saint Veronica is holding a cloth on which Jesus’ face has left a spore print. What exactly is the Lord Jesus trying to tell us here? He is in the midst of a heavy crusade but apparently deemed it necessary to pause by this chopped-down tree (to leave a spore print?). Again, we see the dominant colors red and white. It’s a remarkable little tableau.
