Description

Reformation is a concept drawing from 1973 which was produced as an oil painting in 2017. Reformation is created on linen with an aluminum stretcher and placed in a black baking list. The size of the painting is 140 x 100 cm and has been finished with a matt varnish.

Reformation stands for the religious movement in the early 16th century that aimed to bring about reforms in the Roman Catholic Church, resulting in the establishment of Protestant churches. The founders of the Reformation are Desiderius Erasmus, Martin Luther, and John Calvin. In the book Praise of Folly by Erasmus, he exposes all kinds of human follies while criticizing ecclesiastical authorities, merchants, princes, and scientists. It is considered one of the most influential works of Western civilization.

In 1517, Luther, the figure at center right, set in motion a process with his 95 theses, which changed Western Christianity forever. Calvin, the figure on the center-left, was an important Christian theologian during the Reformation, after whom a Protestant Christian movement, Calvinism, was named.

The Counter-Reformation, or reform within the Roman Catholic Church, also started in the 16th century and was partly a reaction to the Protestant Reformation. The still dogmatic doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church in the 19th century is represented here by Pope Pius XII. The assessment of the papacy of Pope Pius XII focuses mainly on the role played by the Vatican during World War II, and the procedure to beatify the ‘war pope’ was started in 1967 but has not yet been completed.

In 1950, Pius XII underlined the strong Mary, the face of the nun, veneration within the Catholic Church by labeling the Assumption of Mary as a dogma. Both the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches have traditionally professed this belief, but it had never been formally formulated as a dogma. It was also the first and, so far, only papal statement since the formulation of the dogma of papal infallibility in 1870. Women still cannot become priests within Catholicism, as they do not fit into the typology that the male priest represents the male Christ. The priest is in a marital relationship with the Holy Mother Church. The American flag represents the wide variety of Christian denominations in the US, with more than 250 churches, faith communities, and religious groups. The Bible Sheets reflect the exodus within the church, while the car wrecks represent the decay of the church buildings.

There are vast differences of opinion about the Jesus figure among scholars who view his miracles and resurrection as matters of faith rather than historical fact. According to a 14th-century legend, Joseph of Arimathea collected the blood of Jesus in a cup, the Holy Grail, and with it fled to Glastonbury in England. The red cross represents the order of the Knights Templar and the mystery surrounding the Holy Grail.

Gerrit Swaan