Types & Shadows

This last week I had the opportunity of visiting the exhibit Types and Shadows in the Museum of Art up at BYU. Anyone who has the chance should definitely go and visit. It was really awesome. I had been up to the museum and seen that exhibit with my humanities class but I didn’t get the same incite that I got when I went this last week. All of the artwork in the exhibit Types and Shadows is referring to Christ.

My absolute favorite piece of work that was on display was Man of Sorrows by Christopher Young. It is an oil on canvas painting and I love it. Jesus Christ is carrying the cross and the wood looks very rough, painful to hold, and heavy. I couldn’t help but compare how beautiful and perfect Christ looks compared to the cross he carries. His body, skin, and appearance is perfect just like he is. In a way the cross represents us as people and how imperfect we are compared to him but he still holds us up and helps us out. He suffered for my sins and for everyone else’s sins so that we could live with him again. He suffered through every single thing that we are going to have to suffer through. It doesn’t matter how big or how small our Savior has felt it too. The other thing that really stuck out to me was the expression that Jesus has on his face. He is not even concerned physically about the beatings, mocking, physical pain and suffering he has faced and will face in the next little while as he is crucified on the cross. He is almost at peace because he knows what he has to do. His face is worried and contemplative as if he is worrying about the pain of the world and of Gods children.

This is such an amazing and beautiful painting. I know that Jesus Christ died for me and for everyone else. Even though sometimes we feel alone and wonder if anything is going to work out we need to remember that He has felt what we are feeling and that God and Christ are there for us. They are cheering us on and ready to grab our hand when we are ready to fall. We need to remember that Christ felt alone at this time in his life but he endured to the end and completed the task at hand. We are never alone. “We are never alone” is a song that we sang in my choir last year. Always keep enduring and know that there is HOPE! God and Christ LIVE. They KNOW what we are going through. They LOVE you and I!