The Triumphant Christ Forgiving Penitent Sinners

            Jesus Christ is the focus of many religious paintings. He is depicted as the savior to man kind and in a loving way. Many of his paintings are stories with all the characters present to help the viewer understand its meaning. However, walking through Ackland Art Museum one painting particularly caught my eye “The Triumphant Christ Forgiving Penitent Sinners” by Johann Boeckhorst.  The characters in the painting could not be in one place together because they lived many years apart from each other and one of the characters depicted does not exist but is merely a character in one of Jesus’ parables. The painting is oil on canvas and was created around 1660.    The color, lines and message in the painting please the eye and allow viewers to seem as if they are there with Christ.  The painting is not realistic in the sense that you could ever stumble upon this happening in real life but it is an idea that one would like to see Jesus.

The lines in the painting are drawn in order to place the eye on to Jesus’ face. The backs of the two lower figures create diagonals that are pointing to his face that is glowing. The rays of light streaming through the clouds also point the attention towards Jesus. The light goes past the angels in the left corner and continues just past Jesus’ face. The figures below Jesus are smaller and can easily be identified as sinners by the way they cower in the glory of Christ and they want desperately for the praise and forgiveness of him. The facial expressions of the figures who do not turn away from Jesus are long and wretched, dirt covered and sad. Scholars have identified these characters as Mary Magdalen, Saint Peter, the Prodigal Son, King David, the Virgin Mary, and Saint John (Ackland).  Johann does a good job of balancing the painting by placing three figures below Jesus on each side of the painting. To offset the angels to the viewers’ left, he places the cross on the right.

            Boeckhorst is a master of light. There are sharp contrasts of shadow and light. The grayish background is contrasted with the foregrounds light and white objects. The figures humbled and at the feet of Jesus are dark and in shadow. Clear details of Jesus are seen with the light that is illuminated through him or from his inner being.  The light has no one immediate source but illuminates everything. It might be the radiance from Jesus that illuminates the picture. This can be supported by the fact that clouds cover the sky. Also Jesus has the painted halo above his head giving off light which is a symbol of purity.  Light is also used as a balancer. The angels, Jesus, and the lower right figures form a line that is lighter than those on the other side. Gloom might be the theme of the painting if it were not for Jesus standing tall. The lighting all around the figures is dark as if a dark age was coming for man kind.

            This painting shows the love of Christ because he is looking down upon those that think they do not deserve to be in his presence. Boeckhorst portrays Jesus as streatching his right hand towards members of the painting. Jesus wants to help the sinners and save them through his touch, and gives the viewer knowledge that through Jesus and faithfulness in him sin can be overcome. The green palm branches that the angels carry symbolize the everlasting power and forgiveness that Jesus has for people. The branches

also have the meaning of victory and martyrdom (Ackland). The figures around Jesus seem to be afraid to look at him because they feel unworthy in his presence. The expressions on their faces exclaim great sorrow and pain as they watch Jesus’ hand extend toward them. Saint Peter, in the upper right corner, buries his face in his cloak too ashamed after denying Jesus three times to look at him.  Under Jesus’ feet are a globe and a serpent meaning that Christ can overcome those of worldly matters and that he has overcome death himself. These are worldly objects that are present in the picture to help the viewer identify with the subject matter. The serpent is also the symbol used in the story of Adam and Eve. By placing it under Jesus’ foot, Johann is suggesting that Jesus has the power to overcome and destroy all that Satan has tried to instill in the human race.

            During Boeckhorst’s time the painting had a more significant purpose. It was to help Catholics understand the importance of ritualized ceremonies in their faith. Johann lived in a time where Catholics and Protestants were very much enemies of one another (Ackland). Johann also uses this unrealistic view to allow all who see it to be able to put themselves in the painting.  The grayish background also promotes the idea of placing yourself in the picture with Peter and Mary Magdalen. There is no setting or visible area that the picture takes place in so no one place or city can claim it as their own.

            The overall message of the painting is that Jesus wants his people to accept their faults and ask him for forgiveness. The painting represents all that Christians as a people want to see in Jesus, a forgiving figure that has come down to save them all. The people in the painting are real to form as humans of everyday life are. The figures are built and detailed. The figures are easy for a viewer to connect with, and one of the purposes of this painting was to get people to acknowledge their sins and allow Christ to forgive them. It is wonderful idea that captures the eye, and it is easy to get lost in the surrounding figures and place yourself there with Jesus.