The Ascension
Mikhail Nesterov, Oil Painting, 1895
Nesterov was a deeply devout member of the Orthodox Church
whose work combines traditional Russian iconography with post-impressionist
symbolism of the late 19th century. Even after the Russian
Revolution, he continued to paint religious subjects despite the hostility of
both the government and critics.
In Nesterov’s version of the Ascension, Mary is the strong
center of his composition. As Christ ascends in the oval “mandorla” which
signifies heavenly glory, Mary remains firmly rooted on the ground at the
center of the gaping apostles. As the
woman of faith, she already understands what it means for Jesus to return to
his Father. As the woman already “overshadowed” by the Holy Spirit, she knows that Jesus is not abandoning them but inviting them into an even deeper relationship with God. And as the woman of prayer, she sustains
the bewildered community as they await the outpouring of the Spirit which will
transform them. As the confused apostles look anxiously to the skies, a centered
and certain Mary looks out towards us who glimpse the scene from below.
A commentator on traditional Russian iconography comments on
the centrality of Mary in Ascension icons, a significance that Nesterov emphasizes
by the solidity of Mary’s form and color compared to all the other figures in
the painting:
Amid the confusion of the Church before Pentecost there is
the Mother of God, prayerfully and peacefully entreating God, and hoping upon
His promised return. Gazing out, she exhorts us, whilst still amid the
confusion and disorder of the world, to do the same: spiritually gazing to the
heavens in prayer, awaiting the return of Our Lord.
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