Figure 1: Chairs in the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Rouen Colored light from a stained glass window transforms one

chair from a dull brown to a fiery range of colors.

Figure 2: Chairs in the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Rouen Light not only adds a dramatic contrast of light and shadow to these chairs, the organic shape of the light itself also contrasts with the rigid geometry of

its surroundings.

Figure 3: Fiorentino, Rosso. Piet. 1530-1540. Painting. Muse du Louvre, Paris. Photo by A. Dequier and M. Bard. 18 June 2011.

Figure 4: Window in the Muse dOrangerie. Whoever slapped tape on this broken window inadvertently created an abstract cross with distinctive layers of color and texture.

Figure 5: Window in the Muse dLouvre and detail

Figure 6: Chairs and benches in Chartes Cathedral.

The Purple Piet, Chairs in Cathedrals, and Crosses in Windows: How to Get the Most Out of a Trip to an Art Museum By Josh Duncan In May 2011, I joined students and faculty of Concordia University, NE on a school trip to France. While there, we visited Mont Saint Michel, Normandy, Bayeux, Rouen, and finally spent a week in Paris. We visited several cathedrals, all of which were full of sculpture, paintings and stained glass windows. In Paris, we saw all the standard tourist sites (i.e. the Eiffel Tower, Arc dTriumph, etc.), but I spent most of my time in art museums. In both the cathedrals and the museums, I noticed people doing something which bothered me. A lot of people stand in front of a painting or stained glass window, snap a quick photo, then move on to the next thing. I caught myself doing this in the cathedral of Notre Dame at Rouen. I was so busy lining up my photo and looking at the image on the cameras electronic screen, I was not spending any time looking at the real thing with my own eyes. Therefore, I made an effort to see things with my own eyes. I waited before I snapped photos of paintings and windows, and I started taking photos of unusual things. For example: chairs. In a grand cathedral, one wouldnt think chairs would be an interesting thing to look at when there is plenty of expensive art all around. However, some of my strongest photographs were of seemingly plain things, like chairs and windows. They

are certainly more unique images. Millions of tourists take photographs of stain glassed windows in a similar fashion: they back up, center the image, and click. It would be difficult to distinguish one tourists stained glass window photos from the millions of others. That is not the case with these two photos of chairs in the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Rouen (Figures 1 and 2). In both of these images, the play of light is what transforms these chairs from boring objects to dramatic ones. There are many factors at play which would make it impossible for another photographer to take photos exactly like these. Even if another photographer tried to find these places at the same time of day they were taken, the weather might not be sunny, or these chairs may have been moved. The place where the sun rises and sets throughout the year also changes slightly every day. All of Gods creation is wondrous. Its easy to look at sunsets or mountains and think about the beauty of Gods creation, but why dont people do that when looking at less remarkable things, like rotting logs? They are part of Gods creation too. I have learned some important lessons from studying the artist Reinhold Peiper Marxhausen, who passed away last April. Marxhausen distinguished between looking at something and seeing something. In an interview for CBS, he said, Looking is just to check for facts, to see whether the sky is up and the car is in the garageBut seeing is to notice something about the sky or the car. So the key word is to notice

something about our world.1 In this sense, seeing something requires more than a casual glance. Indeed, it may take dedicated effort and regular practice to see something in a rotting log that is as beautiful as a colorful sunset. In his documentary, A Time to See, Marxhausen said that seeing must be an aggressive act of visual curiosity.2 Tourists who dash through museums snapping photos are certainly looking at the artworks, however briefly, but they are not taking the time to really see them. There is no better example of an artwork being spoiled by this attitude than The Mona Lisa. Visitors rush past hundreds of wonderful paintings on a direct course to the most famous painting. Because people are so preoccupied with looking at Da Vincis small portrait and posing in front of it for a photo, it becomes rather difficult for anyone else to take time to actually see The Mona Lisa, appreciate it, and let it work on them. Which is the better option? To look at one thousand famous paintings and forget them all, or to see a handful of paintings and remember each one? Personally, the most memorable painting I found was an obscure Piet painted by Rosso Fiorentino (see figure 3). At first glance, the dead Christs skin appears to be a lifeless grey color. But when Christ is compared to the colors which surround him, his skin suddenly appears more purple, and his lifeless body almost glows. The painting exemplifies how an artist can trick the mind through color choices. Yet, Fiorentino is not even mentioned once

Marxhausen, Reinhold. Interview with Bill Kurtis. CBS. 1 April 1983. Marxhausen, Reinhold. A Time to See. Documentary. Bankers Life Nebraska. 1973.
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in my large text books on art history. I would encourage all those planning a museum visit to find works which appeal to them personally, works that leave as memorable an impression as Fiorentinos Piet left on me. The works one finds may be by lesser artists. In a way, that would make the discovery more special. When one stumbles across a little known work that is not often reproduced in art books, it may be the only chance to appreciate that artwork for a long while. While visiting cathedrals, I made an effort to photograph more than just stained glass windows. In the art museums, I made an effort to photograph more than just artworks. A broken window caught my eye in the Muse dOrsay (see figure 4). Tape had been placed haphazardly on it, but the texture of the wrinkles and the layering of colors from dark to light was eye-catching. Notice that the tape is in the shape of the cross. In my own mind, this window evoked the idea of Christs sacrifice more powerfully than any of the Medieval, jeweled crosses that museums collect. In the Louvre, I saw a window which had a rip in the curtain (see figure 5). It happened to be the reliquary room. However, it glowed with a golden color more beautiful than any of the golden objects housed in the museum. God is omnipresent. One doesnt have to visit an ornate cathedral to have your prayer heard. In fact, many Biblical figures went out alone into the wilderness to pray. Similarly, one can have a powerful visual experience in the least likely of places, whether its in an art museum or in the backyard.

Therefore, I encourage everyone to make an effort to see the wonders of Gods creation, especially in the places one least expects to find it. Plain chairs, ripped curtains, broken windows, the world often defines these things as ugly rather than beautiful. But when the sun hits chairs just right, it can create a wonderful shape of light and shadow, as it did in one of the last photos I took in Chartes Cathedral (see figure 6). In a moment, the effect was gone. Just as our time on this earth is fleeting, so are the awesome effects created by light. If you dont see these effects while they are here, the sun will move and you will miss your chance. As a Christian who works as an artist, I believe God created humans to themselves be creative: to write and draw and sing. C.S. Lewis believed artistic creativity could pave a path for the salvation of a soul. Lewis older brother made a toy garden with the lid of a biscuit tin and assorted foliage. An art critic might not have been impressed, but Lewis imagination of Paradise was forever shaped by his brothers simple toy garden.3 All literary and artistic works draw from Gods world to some degree. One can be inspired by Gods creation just as easily in Nebraska as in famous locales like Paris. All Christians should remember every day that there is more wonder in Gods creation around them than could ever be captured in paint or written word. To conclude, recall Lewis reaction to the plain toy garden in Surprised by Joy. It is remarkably reminiscent to what Marxhausen taught about Lewis, C.S. Surprised by Joy. The Inspirational Writings of C.S. Lewis. New York: Inspirational Press, 1987. 5-6. Print.
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seeing: Things are always changing, so you have to learn to see things as they are right now. Combinations and relationships of form, colors, textures, lines. When you try to see things this way, no matter where you are, you can be rewarded with moments of unexpected joy during the day.4 One could say that Marxhausen taught his students to be surprised by joy, to seek the same profound experience Lewis described in his book. This advice applies to more than just art students or museum visitors, however. It is true for all mankind. When people say they dont see the need for art, maybe they arent looking hard enough yet. Josh Duncan is a studio art major at Concordia University, NE, and the editor of the Marxhausen blog. Those interested in Marxhausen should visit <http://marxhausen.blogspot.com/>.

Marxhausen, Reinhold. A Time to See. Documentary. Bankers Life Nebraska. 1973.

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