Many nativity scenes show Joseph gazing at either Mary or Jesus. But I wanted to really capture the role of fatherhood in Joseph.
If I could use an image to describe a mother’s love it would be an inward, face-to-face orientation of tenderness and care.
I see a father’s love depicted in more of a standing side-by-side orientation. I could think of a proverbial ancient village where the father is a warrior and his young son yearns to stand by his father’s side on the field of battle. How the son yearns to be entrusted with the mission of his father. A togetherness that faces outward to the world.
Joseph is not just a father to Jesus but a son to his Father in heaven. He yearns upwards to his Father and at this moment is utterly humbled and awed to be entrusted with the weighty responsibility of fathering the son of God, and of loving Mary. He is experiencing oneness with his Father.
Joseph’s looking up brings the Father into the picture. Just as we represent our Father by what we do.
You see this son-to-father love all over the gospel of John, where Jesus speaks of saying what his Father says, doing what his Father does, and striving to accomplish the task of making his disciples one, as he and the Father are one.
While we cannot earn God’s love, there is something good about our desire to earn a place by our Father’s side. This is what Jesus said:
“For this reason the Father loves me —“
— pause right there.
There’s a reason God loves his son??
In all our exclamations about God’s unconditional love, have we forgotten this?
“For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again.” John 10:17
Jesus is describing his joy in being a son his Father is well pleased with, because he is one with his Father in everything he does. Jesus is one with the sacrificial love of his Father. The Father takes deep joy in that.
So the gaze of a good father is primarily on the Lord his ways, and not idolizing his wife or his children. Striving to be a good man and family according to God’s standards is what ultimately enables him to lead, protect & provide peace.
a month agodreamy_ophelia
I really appreciated how it turned out but I think the first frame, even if it may seem incomplete, is just perfect as it is! When I looked at it I thought it was a finished piece, and the fact that Joseph is a shadow could simbolise him being there as a father figure, and he’s blurred because he is not Jesus’ real Father. Like only divine figures or touched by divine are truly present in the artwork. Keep up the good work 🔥
2 months agotallaght_life_drawing
I just cannot understand European painters. They just can't help themselves. Joseph was Jewish. Not European.
2 months agomae_cheney
As an artist myself, I have done similar things with my reference photos. Sometimes you have to make the perfect reference, and the talent that comes with knowing how to make it and transform it into what you need is a part of being an artist. I love this piece so much, and I love the story behind it. Biblical art is one of my favorite things.
3 months agocrotts.micah
In Catholic art, Joseph is usually depicted either looking up or down as an expression of his most Chaste Heart.
6 months ago11607_nj
I don't think the race or perceived ethnicity of the portraits are important. The gospel is for everyone and everyone can depict these people however they like, as it has been throughout history. So long as you know the history and aren't actively trying to alter it then let your art be your own.
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