The Edge of the Abyss

One of the paintings in the Munch exhibition yesterday by which I was mesmerised was called 'Girls on the Bridge'. 

 

 

There are, in total, 12 different versions of this painting - it seems it was a theme and an idea to which he returned several times, each time capturing a slightly different aspect or angle of the subject.

 

Critics have formed different opinions and ideas about the painting and its meaning.  In particular, they have been mesmerised by the dark depths of the river swirling below the bridge and what it might represent.

 

Munch himself revealed some of the symbolism of the imagery in his paintings - especially the darkness - in the following quote:

"My whole life has been spent walking by the side of a bottomless chasm, jumping from stone to stone. Sometimes I try to leave my narrow path and join the swirling mainstream of life, but I always find myself drawn inexorably back towards the chasm's edge, and there I shall walk until the day I finally fall into the abyss."

Sometimes in life we can feel dangerously close to the edge of the abyss.  We can fear falling into the bottomless chasm and being unable to get out again.  We all go through periods where we feel 'down' and experience bouts of depression - some longer than others - and we just can't seem to lift ourselves out of our own pits.  We try to join the "swirling mainstream of life" but, like Munch, we feel lost in the chasm.  We question ourselves and our lives and our God.  And none of the answers we find seem to satisfy us.

 

When we are in these dark times, it is easy to feel that we won't ever find our way to the surface again.

 

We need someone else to rescue us - someone to reach down into the depths and pull us to the surface.

 

And this is exactly what God says He will do:

 

         "But me he caught—reached all the way

          from sky to sea; he pulled me out

          Of that ocean of hate, that enemy chaos,

          the void in which I was drowning.

          They hit me when I was down,

          but God stuck by me.

          He stood me up on a wide-open field;

          I stood there saved—surprised to be loved!"

 

          [Psalm 18:16-18 MSG]

 

Whilst we may find ourselves at the edge of the chasm, we will never be lost there forever: as soon as we cry out to God, He will always reach down and rescue us and bring us to the surface.

 

 

 

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.