True Colours

Today I have been to the Edvard Munch exhibition at Tate Modern.

It was completely fascinating.

Although most famous for his work "The Scream", this exhibition focused on his other work: paintings and sketches and photographs which considered the themes of loneliness and loss, and the view of the artist through his own eyes and those of others.

One of the most fascinating things was that in 1930 he suffered a haemorrhage in his right eye. Given that his left eye was already damaged, he was unable to paint for several months until his sight gradually returned to his right eye.

However, during this period of recovery, Munch still sketched and painted. He painted what he could see through the pain and through his suffering and there was an entire room dedicated to these works called "The Averted Eye."

These paintings ranged from colourful concentric circles to 'ordinary' images - him in bed, the view of the room around him - dominated and distorted by smudges and circles: he literally drew what he could see.

It seems that even though his work was affected, he continued painting and made the most of his situation. He had learnt to see potential in his problems, hope in the middle of his hurting.

You could say his haemorrhage revealed his true colours.

"His notes around this time suggest that he understood that the damage to his eye had enabled him to experience new visual sensations that would not otherwise have been available to him." 

[My guidebook]

We have the same choice: so often when we face setbacks, we stop working. We focus on the smudges and blurs in our vision and are unable to see past them. But if we are like Munch, we will learn to see the potential in our own problems and the scope in our setbacks.

Life won't always be easy; sometimes the worst things we could imagine will happen. But in those times we can decide whether to give up, or to persevere in spite of difficulties.

"Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way." 

[James 1:0, 2-4 MSG]

When troubles and trials come your way, trust in God and look for the potential. Let them reveal your true colours.