I have one last painting from our visit to the French riviera. ‘La joie de vivre’ 1946. Picasso had escaped from the darkness of a post war Paris to Antibes. Here like so many artists he found a new lease of life and renewed creativity that produced great works in both painting and ceramics.
The painting is a scene taken from Greek mythology and portrays a mythological garden of Eden in which nymphs and fauns frolic. In the centre of this garden is Picasso’s Eve, his new lover Francoise Gilot, beside her Picasso places himself, depicted as a Centaur, half animal half man, serenading the beautiful Gilot. Two ‘Kids’, literally baby goats, play beside them, (Gilot was soon to become pregnant).
Behind them on a clear blue sea is a boat, representing their escape from the darkness of war. They have arrived in a world coming into being after the destruction of the past five years. The French artist, poet and dramatist Antonin Artaud captures in verse this post war world in words that echo the images of Picasso.
“We are not yet born, we are not yet in the world, there isn’t yet a world, things have not been made, the reason for being has not yet been found.” Antonin Artaud 1946
A new world announced
Although Picasso's vision is taken from Greek mythology, not Christian iconology, it speaks of a primordial longing for a new, reborn world.
This is the message of Jesus to the disciples at a confusing time, he is about to leave them, but they are not to despair because the way is being prepared for the arrival of something ‘yet to come’ John 16:13. We might call this time of preparation the ‘In between’ times as we await the arrival of God’s kingdom in all its fullness and glory. To help us to prepare we have the light of the Holy Spirit who gives us a vision of what is promised.
The Spirit of Truth: Like the bright light, and blue seas of the Mediterranean, captured in Picasso’s ‘Joie de vivre’, the Holy Spirit brings the light of another world to us. John speaks to us, in his gospel, of Jesus as the ‘true light that gives light of every man’, and now Jesus makes it clear to the disciples that this light is to continue the work he has begun. “He will testify about me” John 15: 26. This the light of Christ sent into the world both ‘to guide us into all Truth’
A Person and a Promise: Picasso, escaped the darkness and like many other artists ran towards the sun finding new life. The Holy Spirit has the same effect on people, some will welcome and embrace Jesus as Lord and Saviour, but others will prefer to live in the dark. Like every light the Holy Spirit illuminates as well as exposes darkness.
A new world: Picasso imagined a new world, or a world restored to its classical past.
The vision shared by Jesus with his disciples, is not of the past, but a world renewed where peace is made possible by forgiveness, where barriers are broken down and fellowship made possible by his reconciling love, where there is no condemnation because judgement has been passed on the prince of this world.
Picasso donated all the paintings and ceramics of these productive years to the Musée Grimaldi, now renamed Musée Picasso in Antibes to be shared with the world.
The Holy Spirit is sent into the world to bring new life, to stir up the gifts and graces given to us that we might share our light with the world. This new world must be announced in every community so that we can all get a vision of what is to come.
Rev. Simon Brignall