Next Steps: Tracking Down Nouwen, Van Gogh and Rembrandt

Shoes, 1888, Vincent Van Gogh, (Metropolitan Museum of Art))

I realized last summer, while away at an apologetics conference, that I have a rather entrenched reluctance to talk about my own stories. I was giving a brief talk on beauty, and I received a few responses, that perhaps I could have brought in my own experiences. But aren’t my experiences a bit staid, common, boring? Or maybe too raw and vulnerable? I’m still working through this, and the fear of over-exposure that seems to be at the heart of my hesitance. (A blog is certainly stretching in this area!)

I’m starting a course on Henri Nouwen, and two artists he learned from - Rembrandt and Van Gogh. All three seem to have had rather unconventional and challenging paths. Nouwen was a priest, an Ivy League academic, at one point living in Latin America, then among people with disabilities at L’Arche, outside of Toronto. Van Gogh drifted from job to job, studying theology for a time, and seeking to work for the church, then living with poor coal miners. His unconventional approach meant he was seen as unfit by the church.

Detail from Self Portrait, 1660, Rembrandt Van Rijn, (Metropolitan Museum of Art)

Rembrandt lived during a religiously and politically turbulent time following the Reformation, and painted through a plague. A friend pointed me to Nouwen's reflection, on Rembrandt’s portrait of his son painted during this time: “I keep thinking about this as I wonder what to do when all around me there is so much human suffering. Rembrandt seems to say that it is important to do well the few things we can do and remain faithful to our vocation, limited as it may seem.” Reading through their biographies and letters has reminded me of the value of solidarity through our stories, faithfulness to the beautiful and hard things of life.

Detail from Gerard de Lairesse, 1665-7, Rembrandt Van Rijn, (Metropolitan Museum of Art)

During a visit to my sister and brother-in-law in New York, I found respite from Manhattan’s holiday crush in a quiet room filled with Rembrandt’s paintings, and a couple of more bustling rooms of Van Gogh’s. Neither artist shied away from real engagement with what was before them, occasionally to the chagrin of their critics. Rembrandt is known for his many self-portraits, honestly capturing his aging face, sometimes joyful, sometimes searching. I was particularly struck by his portrait of a fellow-artist, likely disfigured by syphilis. Van Gogh occupied many canvases with peasant life, and his work-worn shoes are full of pathos.

I’m hoping this course helps direct my next steps, as I continue to navigate dialogue between art and faith, and where it may lead. I also hope to become more open to sharing my stories, while also growing in receptivity to others’.

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Sources:

Love, Henri: Letters on the Spiritual Life, Convergent Books, 2016.