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Rembrandt's Christ In The Storm On The Sea Of Galilee

Good Essays

A painting captures a single moment. Most of the time, the audience does not see what happens before and after the moment of the piece, but Rembrandt’s Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee is his depiction of Mark 4:35:39, a story that most children learn in Sunday School. Mark 4:35-36 tells the moments before the storm: “On that day, when evening had come, He told them, ‘Let’s cross over to the other side of the sea.’ So they left the crowd and took Him along since He was already in the boat. And other boats were with Him” (The Bible). Rembrandt fabricates the scene of verse 37 and 38: “A fierce windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But He was in the stern, sleeping …show more content…

For instance, he works with a variety of shades of black within the murky storm clouds. Raetta Parker notes, “Black is a mysterious color associated with fear and the unknown” and “denotes strength” (Parker). For this purpose, Rembrandt uses the storm to symbolize the hard times, or “storms”, in a person’s life. In this case, the strength of the storm is overpowering the boat, making it hard for the disciples to keep the boat from being destroyed and overtaken. By looking at the picture, the storm has cause one of the riggings to break free from the boat and tore the sail, not standing a chance against the strong winds the storm is throwing at them. Also, the dark colors of the overcast prevent the disciples from being able to see the shores. There is no place for the disciples to dock the boat until the storm passes by, stuck in the middle of the storm Comparing the painting to life’s challenges, people can often be broken emotionally or physically, whether it may be a death of a loved one or having to face a terminal illness. They can feel as if, like the disciples, all alone with nowhere to escape to safety. Whatever situation one may face, it can be overpowering and seems as if there is no hope in

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