“Everlasting Joy” by Sidney Sinclair is a
recent acquisition by the J.R. Mooney Galleries of Fine Art. This painting is
part of Sinclair’s Abstract Cross Series. All the usual elements of her crosses are
represented in this painting: warm lighting, a thematic sense of mystery and
heavy use of impasto technique.
What distinguishes this cross, to me, is the contemplation
of the representation of The Holy Trinity. Sinclair’s “Everlasting Joy” is celestial;
there is a sense that the cross came from somewhere besides an artist’s studio.
Overall, the aesthetic of the piece is
one of antiquity, as if the cross was forged by an early Apostle and later
placed in the Hagia Sophia until it was smuggled to a Byzantine church in
Budapest after the fall of Constantinople. When I reflect upon the Holy Trinity
I first think of God and His origin, coming out of the void and creating the
world.
I remember the Old
Testament, a time when Western Civilization was in its infancy and the
religions we have today were forming. In Exodus 3:13-14 God reveals Himself to
His people: “And Moses said unto God, Behold, [when] I come unto the children
of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto
you; and they shall say to me, What [is] his name? What shall I say unto them?
14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say
unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.” The mysteries of God shown through the canvas’
rudimentary abstract lines and rectangular shapes, in contexts of its parts,
are not initially discerned as a cross. Rather it is when the eye calculates
all the lines and the shapes together that the powerful icon is revealed and
the second component of the Holy Trinity is introduced.
The physical attributes of the painting correspond to the
flesh and blood of Jesus Christ. Sinclair’s cross is painted in earthy tones of
red, brown, gold and yellow. The reds primarily used in the painting look like
dried blood, homage to the blood that Christ shed when he was crucified. The golds and yellows are sallow soft and
warm, like tones of flesh, that of the dying Savior. The Trinity is realized by the final
component, the Holy Spirit. The three
unify to become an important idea in Christian belief. "It is the Father
who generates, the Son who is begotten, and the Holy Spirit who proceeds,"
As explained by the Lateran Council IV (1215). In this painting first felt is the mystery of who
is God. Next the physical representation of the flesh, Jesus Christ, is shown
on the canvas through the physical materials of the painting, and finally, the presence
of the Holy Spirit resonates from and beyond the piece. The Holy Spirit is
represented by the shape of the cross which is organic like the colors. The
heavy impasto layers also create movement. The paint vibrates on the canvas and burst forth in waves
like the energy of the soul. It is as if the Holy Spirit comes through the
paint directly to the viewer. The idea
that all three of these come together as one is symbolized by Sinclair’s cross.
Before crosses, Sinclair painted many landscapes. For me,
“Everlasting Joy” is a type of landscape. It is a soulscape, a painting that
mainly depicts the inner side of the artist. It is a record of her joys and
sorrows and the days that she bore her soul to the canvas. One can feel the energy of Sinclair’s bold,
repetitive strokes as everlasting as the icon she paints. “I bring my
spirituality to these pieces, but the people who like them and buy them bring
theirs,” Sinclair says to San Antonio Women’s Magazine in a 2013 interview. She continues to say she wants people to see
the hand of God in her painting. Sinclair is also a cancer survivor and one
does not have to look very hard at her painting to feel her faith and spirituality
coming through. As it is stated in 1
Corinthians 1:18 ESV: “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are
perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
Please Contact J.R. Mooney Galleries of Fine Art for Availability and Pricing
1 800 537 9609 Toll Free
830 816 5706 Boerne, TX Location
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