Image of the Week: Fruit of the Spirit
© D. Yael Bernhard
Here is another religious illustration that was commissioned by a Christian publisher, years ago. The assigned passage was Galatians chapter 5, verse 22, which reads:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
If you're like me, that last character trait might have made you wince. The passage goes on to qualify "self-control" as "the crucifixion of the passions and desires of the flesh." Such moral strictures prevailed for centuries, and traumatized a number of my contemporaries who grew up under the disapproving eyes of ruler-wielding nuns. These individuals bear a lifelong grudge against organized religion, which I find equally disturbing as the self-denial that was handed down to them. One extreme leads to another.
Needless to say, I focused on the more positive attributes of the verse. Was it wrong to turn a blind eye to the unsavory last word? I don't think so. All throughout the Bible we find references to slavery, forced marriage, and sacrifice of animals, to name just a few practices considered abhorrent today. The pagan, idol-worshipping traditions that preceded monotheism were also full of injustice and cruelty, including child sacrifice and a complete lack of human rights. The native American cultures revered today also were not innocent of brutality. History is a retrojection by those who make meaning of the past.
In this illustration, I strove to create something positive: a quilt of human interconnection. The fruits shown are gifts of the earth – pri ha'adama, as spoken in Hebrew. Olives, pomegranates, figs, and grapes (looks like I threw in a plum and some strawberries, too) are four of the seven species of the Bible that have been eaten throughout the ages on Passover, Easter, and Ramadan – the three major holidays that are all happening together this week. Food is common to all people, not only for survival but as a central part of our meaning-making. In this image, it's depicted as something shared. Each figure appears to be made of earth, and is handing their fruit to someone else. The sections of this quilt are fractured, overlapping, and indistinct – a technique I use often in my art, inspired by Cubism. Cubism in turn was partly inspired by Einstein's theory of relativity, which rocked the minds of scientists, intellectuals, and artists all over Europe, America, and Russia, questioning the very separateness of physical form and matter itself. I wanted to express a certain breaking down of boundaries, too – thus the colors of the fruits are spreading into the sections of the quilt, in addition to the fruits themselves.
Thus I ponder as I paint, contemplating "visual physics" and striving to weave together the influences that inspire me. Just as we bear with the difficult parts of a Shakespeare play or a poem by Chaucer in order to appreciate the underlying message, we can do the same with scripture. In illustrating religious themes, my goal is to mine the deeper meaning of the passages I'm assigned, and to express it in ways contemporary viewers can relate to – in this case, by connecting the earth's abundance to the best of our shared humanity.
As for self-control, I think the word "forbearance" in the verse above is sufficient. Self-restraint is part of life, and part of all three major holidays currently being celebrated. Christians abstain from certain foods during Lent; Jews give up chametz (leavened grains) for the eight days of Passover; and Muslims fast until sunset every day for a full cycle of the moon. There are common threads that tie us all together in the vast quilt of humanity, and food is a big one.
Curious about the nutritional value of these holiday foods? See my new post "The Order of What You Eat" in my illustrated newsletter "The Art of Health" – where you can either read or listen. If you're a subscriber here, you should already be on that mailing list, too. If not, please check your spam folder for emails from dyaelbernhard@substack.com.
Happy Passover, Easter, and Ramadan to all my readers who celebrate! May the fruits of your spirit bring you sustenance, joy, and meaningful connection to others.
A good week to all –
D Yael Bernhard