SERVANTS OF HOPE IN A CHANGING WORLD (The theme of the CCXIV General Chapter )

About the Artist

STEFFY MOL JOHN Johnson is an Indian modern artist, a student, who is studying fine arts. She was born in a village called VaraVelai, Maniyaramkuntu in Kaniyakumari district, Tamilnadu, on 29 May 1995 to parentsMr. Johnson and Ms. Janet Mary. She completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at Government College of Fine Arts, Kumbakonam, in Bharthidasan University of Tamilnaduin 2013-2016. Presently, she is completing her master’s degree in fine arts Government College of Fine Arts, Thiruvananthapuram, in Kerala University, Kerala. She is a modern artist who is interested in portrait drawing, sketching, painting, pen drawing, pencil drawing, poster painting, and accessories design. At the request and indication of the General Council, she painted this image at the age of 24 (2019) for the CCXIV General Chapter 2019 based on the Chapter’s theme, with the scope of inviting each of us in the Servite Family to live as “Servants of Hope in a Changing World”.

 

About the Painting

The canvas oil painting measures150X100 cm. The images are painted in multi-colours and the work is varnished. The artist uses modern impersonal style in order to allow the viewers their own personal interpretation and representation of the images presented in the painting. The viewers can find their own place in the painting, each seeing himself or herself in any one of the images that he or she likes. The artist tried her best to interpret and express well the CCXIV General Chapter’s theme through this painting.

 

This painting is inspired by an earlier work of fra Bernhard M. Alpers O.S.M. (1937-1997),painted in 1991 (24 January 1991) to remember the historical event of the return of friars to the Buer Community in the year 1989 (the community of Buer started in 1954, with the friars leaving in 1982, only to return again in 1989). Fra Bernhard M. Alpers wrote this historical fact in artistic language representing “the first Seven Fathers are returning to the world, coming down from Monte Senario”. The General Council proposed this painting as an image to express the theme of the CCXIV General Chapter. STEFFY MOL JOHN Johnson used this painting as her inspiration in expressing and interpreting the CCXIV General Chapter’s theme in today’s social, cultural and geographical context. Since she is Indian herself, the social-cultural reality of India is represented while, at the same time, the Italian origins of the Order, as well as the maternal presence of our Blessed Virgin Mother Mary (cf. LO, 9-11), are also duly respected and represented.

 

The dawn of day

At the top, the painting presents the dawn of the day. At different hours of the day (dawn, nine o’clock, noon, three o’clock, five o’clock)–that is, at different moments of our earthly life– the Landowner, who is God, goes out to hire labourers for his vineyard (cf. Mt 20: 1-16). As labourers in God’s vineyard, we are to spread the Good News (Hope) in today’s world. And the reward for each one of us is the same, the usual daily wage (cf. Mt 20: 9), which is eternal life with God(cf. Mt19: 29).

 

Blessed Virgin Mary, New Eve, Mother of Mercy

The Blessed Virgin Mother Mary (Mother with Mantle – Madonna con ilmantello, Mother of Mercy)spreads her mantleout and covers the entire universe. It is not only the Servite Family, which is under her mantle, but also the entire universe. The Mother of Christ is not only the Mother of all beloved disciples (cf. Jn 19: 25-27), but also the “Woman” (Jn 2: 4; 19: 26), the “New Eve”,“the Mother of all the living” (Gn 3: 20).

 

Monte Senario, Cradle of the Order

Interestingly, Monte Senario is at the centre of the painting (near the heart of our Blessed Virgin Mary). This is the birthplace/homeland of the Servants of Mary, the cradle of the Order, to which we, the labourers, go up – being called by the Landowner as labourers for the harvest (cf. Lk 10: 2). From there we also go down, being sent by the Landowner (cf. Lk 10: 1-23) everywhere in the world (the Order has spread to all five continents) to bear fruit(cf. Mt 13: 8), fruit in abundance(cf. Jn 15: 8), fruit that will last(cf. Jn 15: 16)and to announce the Good News of Hope to all creation(cf. Mr 16: 15).

 

The maternal protection and accompanying presence of the Blessed Virgin Mary are portrayed with proper theological and mariological interpretations, using artistic language (the colour of the Mantle). For all Servites, the Blessed Virgin Mary is an abiding inspiration (cf. Const. OSM, 1), a teacher (cf. Const. OSM, 6), a model (cf. Const. OSM, 299). The impersonal face of our Lady evokes multiple personal interpretations in the mind and heart of the viewer. Her presence in the middle of the painting and the position of Monte Senario at the heart of our Blessed Virgin Mother highlights the charism and tradition of Marian devotion in the Family of the Servants of Mary(cf. Const. OSM, 6-7): “From the ‘fiat’ of the lowly Servant of the Lord (cf. Lk 1: 38), they have learned to receive the word of God and to be attentive to the promptings of the Spirit. From the participation of the mother in the redemptive mission of her Son, the Suffering Servant of the Lord, they have learned to understand and alleviate human suffering” (Const. OSM, 6).

 

Seven First Fathers

Today’s Servites are represented by the impersonal images of the Seven First Fathers in the painting. The artist expresses the present-day life of Servites, the exodus – the itinerant life of mendicant/Servites – (cf. Const. OSM, 3), which is rooted in the life of the Seven First Fathers.

 

Thus far, almost all iconographical representations of our Seven First Fathersfound in our communities portray the aspect of “climbing towards Monte Senario”. The painting by fra Bernhard M. Alpers O.S.M. (1991) is an exception. This painting gives importance to the aspect ofour Seven First Fathers “coming down” from Monte Senario to Florence and other cities (LO, 49) in today’s world and on all five continents. Just as they “climbed up to Monte Senario”[1]in order to listen to God’s Word and to live community life in solitude and contemplation (under one roof – Monte Senario), they also “came down from Monte Senario”[2] to share – by words and deeds – what they had experienced (and are experiencing) and to live fraternal life in service and prayer (in various houses – Florence, Siena, etc.), to meet and serve the people on the peripheries.

 

In this painting, there is no well-constructed road or path for them to walk down from the mountain. This is intentional on the part of the artist. Even in past iconographical representations, where our Seven First Fathers were shown “climbing up”, there was no depiction of a well-constructed road or way up the mountain. They always climbed with struggle. Likewise, now they also“come down” along a rocky path, overcoming all the struggles and stumbling blocks of life in order to meet the people of the world. Moreover, each one (Seven First Fathers) is carrying a haversack, which may seem to be against Gospel values since Jesus told his disciples not to carry with them any purse or bags (cf. Lk 10: 4). Nevertheless, this shows the true nature of mendicant life in our Order (normally mendicants are represented with a haversack – like the migrants of today). Servites are itinerant by nature, making “ourselves available to go wherever our service impels us” (Const. OSM, 3).

 

The artist tried to express the actual descent of our Seven First Fathers, interpreting it in the socio-cultural context of today’s world:

• Readiness and openness to meet the changing world with joy (three of them are joyously meeting people and greeting each other – they have reached the destination);
• Difficulties and sufferings along the journey to meet the changing world (two of them are finding difficulty in their journey due to their age or sickness and other occupations – they are on the way towards the destination);
• Hesitant or waiting to take initiatives to meet the changing world (two of them are in the discernment process – they have yet to begin their journey towards the destination).

 

The Order’s present reality is well presented in the images of the Seven First Fathers. Even these are impersonal so that each viewer can identify himself or herself in any of the images of the Seven First Fathers according to the character, circumstances and socio-cultural context of each individual.

 

Southern and Northern Hemisphere 

The artist, being Indian, has presented the Southern Hemisphere in the lower part of the painting which represents the people of India with their particular social, religious, economic and geographical conditions (the people, their dress, houses and church, trees, animals, birds, etc.). At the same time, the upper part of the painting presents the Northern geographical hemisphere: Monte Senario, together with the Seven First Fathers in the Servite habit (cf. LO, 52; Const. OSM, 63). The painting is a perfect fusion of Southern and Northern hemispheres and Eastern and Western cultures. In a way, it also represents the present geographical condition of the Order in the world (the presence of the Order on all the five continents). Though the people presented in the painting seem to be from different hemispheres (the Seven First Fathers with a Northern identity, and the people with a Southern identity), there is a welcoming atmosphere among them, which proves that Servites are “Servants of Hope in a Changing World”.

 

In the end, very attractive colours are used throughout the painting: there is bright dawn at the top giving hope to each one and all the scenes are clearly painted leaving the impersonal identity everywhere in the painting. Overall, the painting invites each and every viewer to bring his/her own interpretation, as well as his/her own representation, to the impersonal images present in the painting.

 

 

[1] They went up the mountain and at the top immediately constructed a small house suitable to live in. Abandoning the house they had previously in Florence, they moved up to the mountain to live there together (LO, 41).

[2]These godly men, our first fathers, came down from the mountain of worldly pride, down to humility, which is the base of all virtue. They built a dwelling on this foundation of humility and raised it up high on charity, the peak of all virtues. With the Lord’s help they made arrangements that were practical and at the same time fostered their spiritual life. Determined in all this to carry out the Lord’s will, they received into their community many friars and associates, such as they and the Lord deemed suitable. At the same time, as the Lord seemed to be indicating this to them, they opened some other houses, places suitable to their penitential way of life (LO, 49).