April 19th, 2011.

Sometimes I know that I will spend so much time trying to think of a good subject for a blog post that I’ll never actually write it, so I just fall back on the date. You can’t go wrong with that, right?

So Hannah, Rachel and I went to “some museum,” as I mentioned earlier today. We went to the Getty. And I would be lying if I didn’t say it was one of the most moving experiences of my entire life. Maybe it’s especially powerful because it’s Holy Week. I don’t know.

Here are the ones that I hope I never forget {and now, thanks to the magic of the internet, never will!}

Polyptych with Saint James Major, Madonna and Child, and Saints; Bartolomeo Vivarini

Read more about it here.

We walked up a flight of stairs, turned a corner into a new exhibit room and I immediately fell in love with this. We tried to guess all of the saints. I particularly love John the Baptist being portrayed in the desert. It was a huge painting, and I wished I could have it in my house.

Saint Mary Magdalen at the Sepulchre; Giovanni Girolamo Savoldo

Read more about it here.

Here is why I love this picture. This is Mary Magdalene at the tomb. See how something is shining at her? That’s the resurrected Christ. Oh man.

The Sermon on the Mount; Jan Brueghel the Elder

Read more about it here.

We got scolded for getting too close to this. We were just trying to find Jesus! Look at how the people are dressed. and you can’t tell, but Jesus is wearing a simple tunic.

The Entombment; Peter Paul Rubens

Read more about it here.

I gasped. and choked back tears. and then let them fall. The description on the Getty website makes note of the greenish color of Christ’s skin but fails to note the same in the depiction of Mary, which goes back to Simeon’s words to Mary, “and a sword will pierce your own soul, too.” {Luke 2:35}

: Christ and the Adulteress; Valentin de Boulogne

Read about it here.

Just note the lighting. That’s all.

: Christ Crowned with Thorns; Gerrit van Honthorst

Read more about it here.

This one came home with me. Not like… I stole it. But I bought the postcard of it, because there were no postcards of that first painting. I got two postcards, one for me and one for my friend Gregory.

You can look at all of their religious art here. I’d recommend it.

I took pictures. Lucky everyone.