Reflection By Catherine Anderson
Catharine Keir, ‘The Good Samaritan’
L’Arche Genesaret, Australia
Artist: Catharine Keir
Title: ‘The Good Samaritan’
Through her art work Catharine has captured the essence of the parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk 10: 25-37). The man stripped and beaten (Lk 10: 30) lies helpless amidst the rocky ground. This man half dead, (Lk 10: 30) Catharine has emphasised is representative of Jesus.
Maritain writes, how, …“a work of art”… is “a meeting place” between the minds of “the artist (‘s) and the beholder (‘s) …” The artist has skilfully created a meeting place between the artist and the beholder (ourselves) through her attention to the eye contact between the traveller, the Good Samaritan and the donkey.
Catharine creates an aspect not in the text of the parable when she includes the donkey, who gazes tenderly at the naked and beaten traveller; who can be understood as the Christ stripped naked abandoned and beaten.
The donkey is symbolic of another parable (Jn 12: 12-19). The artist has created a beautiful connection between the Christ and this donkey; perhaps a point of recognition, when the donkey carried the Christ as the Blessed One, the King of Israel (Jn 12: 13).
To the left of the wounded traveller is another traveller who was “moved with pity” (Lk 10: 33) when he saw the dying man. The artist through her attentiveness to the eye contact in this narrative highlights a point of reflection for L’Arche as we celebrate our Jubilee year.
Catharine has concentrated on the importance of the body. In her second biography of Jean Vanier Spink reminds the reader that L’Arche was founded on “the body” and refers to the “revelation of God through the body.”
This truth is incarnated through the art piece and reveals a meeting place between the vulnerable Christ, the Blessed One; and the other who stoops in mercy to meet her brother or sister on the road from Jerusalem (Lk 10: 30).
Finally, Catharine reminds us of a message at the heart of L’Arche; through our relationships we are called to care for Jesus, hidden in my brother my sister. We can all be the wounded traveller on the road to Jerusalem. How graced we are to travel together and be anointed by our friend (Lk 10:34).
References
Jacques Maritain, Creative Intuition in Art and Poetry;The A. W. Mellon Lectures in the Fine Arts 1952 National Gallery of Arts Washington (London: The Harvill Press, 1954). 11-12.
Kathryn Spink, The Miracle, The Message, The Story (London: Darton Longman and Todd, 2006). 4.
Catherine Anderson is a long term member of L’Arche Genesaret. Catherine is a post-graduate student at the Australian Catholic University and is researching L’Arche. Her thesis is from a theological perspective.