Stations of the Resurrection

¡Ha Resucitado!

¡Ha Resucitado!—An original acrylic painting from the series of 14 Stations of the Resurrection (Via Lucis) by A.Vonn Hartung

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.  He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. (Mt 28)

In this first station we are confronted, as are the women who approached the tomb, with the feeling of other worldliness upon seeing the angel and the empty tomb.

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¡Ha Resucitado! —Una pintura acrílica original de la serie de 14 Estaciones de la Resurrección (Via Lucis) por A.Vonn Hartung

El ángel dijo a las mujeres—No tengan miedo; sé que ustedes buscan a Jesús, el que fue crucificado.  No está aquí, pues ha resucitado, tal como dijo. Vengan a ver el lugar donde lo pusieron. (Mt 28)

En esta primera estación nos enfrentamos, al igual que las mujeres que se acercaron al sepulcro, con el sentimiento de otra mundanalidad al ver al ángel y al sepulcro vacío.

It is the Lord!

It is the Lord! — An original acrylic painting from the series of 14 Stations of the Resurrection (Via Lucis) by A.Vonn Hartung.

The fishermen came up short, a whole night spent without a fish for breakfast. Christ appears as a beacon of Hope, and He fills their net with bounty. The boat swings into action, the tilt of the mast and that of the crossbeam, the prow and the stern all point towards the fulfillment of the Lord’s commandment, “cast your net”. Blessings of abundance are yours if only you are obedient and have faith in the voice of your shepherd.

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¡Es el Señor! – Una pintura acrílica original de la serie 14 Estaciones de la Resurrección (Via Lucis) de A.Vonn Hartung.

Los pescadores se quedaron cortos, pasaron una noche entera sin un pescado para desayunar. Cristo aparece como un faro de esperanza, y Él llena su red con generosidad. La barca entra en acción, la inclinación del mástil y la del travesaño, la proa y la popa apuntan hacia el cumplimiento del mandamiento del Señor, “echa tu red”. Las bendiciones de la abundancia son tuyas si solo eres obediente y tienes fe en la voz de tu pastor.

Peter, do you love me?

Peter, do you love me? — An original acrylic painting from the series of 14 Stations of the Resurrection (Via Lucis) by A.Vonn Hartung.

Here we have the essence of Christian faith, Love. Love one another as I have loved you. So, Christ Jesus tells Peter, if you love me, you will love and care for my little ones, you will care for my faithful, you will care for the old and the vulnerable because that is the essence of Love, to care for each other. Here we can see the language of art working together to bring this moment, this message alive.

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Simón, ¿me amas?—Una pintura acrílica original de la serie de 14 Estaciones de la Resurrección (Via Lucis) de A.Vonn Hartung

Aquí tenemos la esencia de la fe cristiana, el amor. Amaos los unos a los otros como yo os he amado. Entonces, Cristo Jesús le dice a Pedro, si me amas, amarás y cuidarás a mis pequeños, cuidarás a mis fieles, cuidarás a los viejos y vulnerables porque esa es la esencia del Amor, cuidarse el uno al otro. Aquí podemos ver el lenguaje del arte trabajando en conjunto para traer este momento, este mensaje vivo.

 

The Resurrection: Joy, Hope and Salvation

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When Jesus was resurrected, becoming for us The Christ, in that moment the world was changed forever!

Dark was the time when Judas betrayed Jesus, which led to His suffering, crucifixion and death on the Cross; a time when the faith of His followers was tested. But when the Messiah-Christ rose on the third day, their prayers were answered, their faith fulfilled, their joy overflowing.

We are living in such dark times and now it is our faith that is being tested. We feel the sting of betrayal. Through our tears and outrage we better understand how Jesus suffered and we are drawn closer to Him.

The feeling is like Death–dark, empty and cold. But as His disciples came to know, we recognize that Jesus is Resurrected; therefore our faith is fortified, our resolve strong! For we live in the Light and have our being in the Love and Mercy of our Savior Christ Jesus.

Christ is Resurrected! Hallelujah!

My major project for the last five years has been to paint the Stations of the Resurrection (Via Lucis: The Way of Light) when Jesus appeared to His disciples beginning on Easter Sunday over a period of 40 days until he ascended and then gifted them with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

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Christ visits His Mother

Although extra-biblical and controversial, there is a tradition in Christian circles, especially in many Eastern Churches, that our risen Lord’s first visit was to His mother after His resurrection from the dead. Many western saints subscribed to this belief, such as St. Albert the Great (Albertus Magnus, d.1280), St. Ignatius of Loyola (d.1553), St. Teresa of Avila (d.1582) and Pope St. John Paul II (d.2005). 

Christ visits His Mother

John Paul II asked how the Blessed Virgin, who was “present in the first community of the disciples, could have been excluded from the number of those who encountered her divine Son risen from among the dead. On the contrary, it is legitimate to think that the Mother may really have been the first person to whom the risen Jesus appeared. Could not the absence of Mary from the group of women who approached the tomb at dawn constitute an indication that she had already met Jesus?

I humbly painted this scene symbolic of the Divine Bond between Mother Mary and her Son; a bond unique, mysterious and wonderful.

Let us celebrate the Love between mother and child, children and mothers, and mothers and the Special Gift they have in bringing life into the world.

Happy Easter and Mothers’ Day!

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And they saw the tomb was empty…(Mark 16)

When Jesus was resurrected, becoming for us The Christ, in that moment the world was changed for his believers forever! Earth burst into blossom. Earth glowed with light in the deep dark night of time. Everything, all creation was illuminated with divine light, hope.

AS SUCH I PAINTED THE STATIONS OF THE RESURRECTION (Via Lucis-The Way of Light)

And they saw the tomb was empty_ViaLucis1_painting on glass by AVonnHartung
And they saw the tomb was empty

The intense color is meant to bring this miraculous change into our consciousness. The colors are super infused with hue. Each color becomes the heightened essence of itself. To the uninformed eye these “stained glass” windows on the Resurrection might look fantasia-like. They’re meant to be however,  simple in form and basic in color.

 

"Mary Magdalene encounters the risen Jesus" ViaLucis2 painting on glass by AVonnHartung
Mary Magdalene encounters the risen Jesus

The figures show emotion in their gestures, their exaggerated movements. This is to show that reality was turned on its head.

Something so unbelievable had occurred that it changed consciousness forever. The world became full of hope, full of meaning because death had lost its power, its grip on humanity. Hallelujah! He has risen!

"After the Resurrection Jesus appears to the women" ViaLucs3 painting on glass by AVonnHartung
After the Resurrection Jesus appears to the women

These 14 Stations of the Resurrection (Via Lucis) adorn the upper reaches of the nave of Capilla San Juan Bosco in Orocovis (Barrio Gato), Puerto Rico. They were commissioned by Padre Jorge Santiago Cartagena, SDB. Twelve similar windows were also commissioned by Padre Jose Luis Gómez, SDB for the church San Juan Bosco in Villa Palmeras, San Juan.

In 1998 Father Sabino Palumbieri, Salesian priest and professor of theological anthropology in Rome, “proposed the creation of a new set of stations [to complement the Stations of the Cross] centered upon the resurrection and the events following it so as to emphasize the positive hopeful aspect of the Christian story which, though not absent from the Stations of the Cross, is obscured by their emphasis upon suffering. The first major public celebration of this devotion was in 1990…”
It was officially sanctioned by the Vatican in 2001. (From Wikipedia-“Stations of the Resurrection”)