L’ADAGE À LA ROSE
Svetlana Zakharova and artists of the Bolshoi Theatre in Act I of “The Sleeping Beauty”. Photo by Alexander Zemlianichenko (AP).
REAL BLACK SWAN
Royal Ballet’s former principal dancer Darcey Bussell on a press announcement for The Royal Ballet’s 2000-2001 season.
SWAN QUEEN
Royal Ballet’s principal dancer Alina Cojocaru in Act II of “Swan Lake”. Photo by Bill Cooper.
![“i love you today, like there is no tomorrow” - maxidus[Eagle Nebula taken by the Hubble telescope]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2o9bpYVYu1rsh5qzo1_500.jpg)
When approached to present a performance piece for the opening exhibit entitled, “Preludes” to be performed at the Salt Space in Manhattan, I decided to take on the emotional mindset of Jesus Christ as he made His way to the Garden of Gethsemane. I consider this a daring challenge, and as such, I could not pass up.
I wanted to wrestle with the thoughts and struggles while in the garden that He (Jesus) endured between His “humanness” and His “Godness”. Knowing His mission from before the beginning of time, and now with the time now upon Him, how greatly He revealed this duality in such an intimate setting. Jesus was sorrowful to the point of death! Sweats of blood! He cries out to His Father to have to have Him excused from the very point of His earthly calling. Why?
I have entitled this piece “Agony”.
“In the Garden of Gethsemane”
“My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
Going a little farther, he fell with on face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”Mathew 26:38-39
I’ve heard that few moments before sunrise is when the night comes to its darkest hour. In this piece I applied Prussian dark blue with sparkles of ultramarine that receive an azurite blue and all of these contain a portion of pulverized Pearl that give a refractive effect showing us a dark night, but lightened at the same time. This symbolizes the obedience reigning in the midst of sadness, which later on would become a triumph over darkness and death.
The Body of Jesus was manifesting a spiritual experience. He sweated drops of blood, a phenomenon between the natural and the supernatural. His passion and obedience exceeded the consequences. That night at the Gethsemane the Son asked the Father three times to take, if possible, that cup from Him, but do according to His will. What brought most sadness to His soul was to know that He would be separated from His Father for a while at the time of the crucifixion.
His redemptive work would start at sunrise.
Carlos Cázares
This work was part of the exhibition “The Stations of the Cross” in New Jersey, curated by Gerda Liebmann.
