"Two Disciples at the Tomb" (1906), Henry Ossawa
Tanner, The Art Institute of Chicago
John 20
Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes.
Tanner was an African American artist born on the eve of the Civil War to the son of a freeman and a mother born into slavery. His father was a prominent African Methodist Episcopal minister and his home was a station of the Underground Railroad. At 21 he was the only black student admitted to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia. He moved to Paris to live and paint without the racial barriers of the United States. Henry Tanner was the first African American artist to achieve international acclaim. Tanner's reverent mood reflects deeply held religious beliefs, and he regarded his faith as central to his racial identity with its themes of salvation and resurrection.
Tanner was influenced by Rembrandt and was an important contributor to Post Impressionism. While his subject matter was largely traditional and he considered himself primarily a painter of religious subjects, some of his depictions and innovative painting techniques demonstrate his embrace of modernism. Modern and personal, this image emphasizes each man's response to the miraculous event. Using warm tones with a grandeur and simplicity of composition, this painting shows a genuine human dimension with the light focused on the faces. There is a quiet meditation, a rhythm of fluidity and a sensitivity of line. Contrasting youth with age, Peter is somber while John is transfixed. John's youthful face reflects the emptiness of the arched tomb. Next to him, bowing his head with awe, stands the bearded disciple Peter.
Meditation:
Looking at this painting I am struck by the faces of the disciples. The focus is on their faces, their response to this amazing event! I had always thought of the disciples as having the luxury of seeing Jesus, walking around with Him for those years, seeing miracles, hearing His teaching. But after suffering the ultimate disappointment of seeing their Christ crucified and dead, they heard a secondhand account of an empty tomb and raced to see for themselves. They saw grave clothes, an empty tomb, not the actual risen Christ or angels, but they believed. Like us, we hear someone else's account of their experience with the Risen Lord and we see evidence of His rising, but our comfort is in the fact that Peter and John believed before they saw their Risen Lord. Each in his own way - Peter, with awe and reverence, John, with wonder - each has an individual and personal response. Likewise, we too can face the redemption of the resurrection in a personal and individual way.
Prayer:
Oh Risen Lord, we come to you with the brokenness of Good Friday and seek the redemption of Easter. We struggle with your death, but stand in wonder and awe at your resurrection. Help us to come to you, believing before we can even see you, and declaring with the angels, "He is risen, He is risen indeed!"
Written by Nancy S. Livengood
Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes.
Tanner was an African American artist born on the eve of the Civil War to the son of a freeman and a mother born into slavery. His father was a prominent African Methodist Episcopal minister and his home was a station of the Underground Railroad. At 21 he was the only black student admitted to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia. He moved to Paris to live and paint without the racial barriers of the United States. Henry Tanner was the first African American artist to achieve international acclaim. Tanner's reverent mood reflects deeply held religious beliefs, and he regarded his faith as central to his racial identity with its themes of salvation and resurrection.
Tanner was influenced by Rembrandt and was an important contributor to Post Impressionism. While his subject matter was largely traditional and he considered himself primarily a painter of religious subjects, some of his depictions and innovative painting techniques demonstrate his embrace of modernism. Modern and personal, this image emphasizes each man's response to the miraculous event. Using warm tones with a grandeur and simplicity of composition, this painting shows a genuine human dimension with the light focused on the faces. There is a quiet meditation, a rhythm of fluidity and a sensitivity of line. Contrasting youth with age, Peter is somber while John is transfixed. John's youthful face reflects the emptiness of the arched tomb. Next to him, bowing his head with awe, stands the bearded disciple Peter.
Meditation:
Looking at this painting I am struck by the faces of the disciples. The focus is on their faces, their response to this amazing event! I had always thought of the disciples as having the luxury of seeing Jesus, walking around with Him for those years, seeing miracles, hearing His teaching. But after suffering the ultimate disappointment of seeing their Christ crucified and dead, they heard a secondhand account of an empty tomb and raced to see for themselves. They saw grave clothes, an empty tomb, not the actual risen Christ or angels, but they believed. Like us, we hear someone else's account of their experience with the Risen Lord and we see evidence of His rising, but our comfort is in the fact that Peter and John believed before they saw their Risen Lord. Each in his own way - Peter, with awe and reverence, John, with wonder - each has an individual and personal response. Likewise, we too can face the redemption of the resurrection in a personal and individual way.
Prayer:
Oh Risen Lord, we come to you with the brokenness of Good Friday and seek the redemption of Easter. We struggle with your death, but stand in wonder and awe at your resurrection. Help us to come to you, believing before we can even see you, and declaring with the angels, "He is risen, He is risen indeed!"
Written by Nancy S. Livengood
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