Pentecost is one of my favourite moments in the Bible and one of my favourite mysteries of the Rosary. (My other favourites are the Presentation and the Transfiguration.)
I like the "shock and awe" of Pentecost, the presence of powerful imagery: a mighty wind and tongues of fire.
Despite much searching, and despite its popularity with painters through the ages, I've never been able to find a depiction of Pentecost that satisfies me. Every single depiction is too understated for my liking. Surely any attempt to portray Pentecost visually should be a case of "go big or go home". (Also, the "mighty wind" is generally left out. Obviously, you can't directly portray wind, but you should be able to imply it with a little imagination.)
So I'm going to be a terrible, terrible person and use an A.I.-generated image for this post. I'm not happy with that one, either, even though it took several efforts to find one that was even nearly suitable.
I always tended to go big or go home, but lately when considering the actual Bible accounts, apart from done obvious exceptions like the shepherds' vision of the countless angels and the Transfiguration,I've been wondering whether the actual experience of the events were simpler and gentler than we may like to think.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good point. The Biblical accounts are pretty sparse. But, since it doesn't say either way, I would much rather to imagine it as very dramatic-- and this is also a fitting way of conveying its importance, I think.
DeleteIt must have caused a bit of a commotion to have people turn up to look.