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Tahnja — Absalom
Published: 2011-10-21 00:35:27 +0000 UTC; Views: 3155; Favourites: 29; Downloads: 0
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Description
Oil and impasto medium on flat sheet of canvas.14" x 11.5"
Reference image used by kind permission from "Jim Ferringer" [link]
*The lament of King David upon hearing of his son's death: Kings 19:23*
*"My son Absalom, Absalom my son: would to God that I might die for thee, Absalom my son, my son Absalom."*
*The story of Absalom's revolt* is told in the Second Book of Samuel in the Old Testament of the Bible (chapters 14 to 18). Absalom rebels against his father King David. The beautiful Absalom is distinguished by extraordinarily abundant hair, which is probably meant to symbolize his pride (2 Sam. 14:26). When David's renowned advisor, Ahitophel (Achitophel in the Vulgate) joins Absalom's rebellion, another advisor, Hushai, plots with David to pretend to defect and give Absalom advice that plays into David's hands. The result was that Absalom takes the advice of the double agent Hushai over the good advice of Ahitophel, who realizing that the rebellion is doomed to failure, goes home and hangs himself. Absalom is killed (against David's explicit commands) after getting caught by his hair in the thick branches of a great oak: "His head caught fast in the oak, and he was left hanging between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him went on" (NRSV 2 Sam. 18:9). The death of his son, Absalom, causes David enormous personal grief. The title of Faulkner's novel Absalom, Absalom! is taken from David's mourning in 2 Sam. 18:33 or 19:4.
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I want to add my deep feelings associated with this piece. As a parent having gone through awful times of enormous grief and sorrow with my own children…terrified I might lose them in the process to any number of dangers and distresses….I hear and feel the enormous heartache in King David’s lament for his own son that so grievously and horrifically turned against him. The virtue in David of his love for his son is incredibly beautiful even though his beloved son fell into such horrible sin, the ultimate being his desire to overthrow his own father.
The sadness this brings to my heart can be seen subtly reflected in Absalom’s face….I found that an amazing reflection when I stood back from the painting….
And the impasto medium did something I didn’t intend! The impasto texture I placed near his face did not occur to me as to be his luxurious hair until I stepped back from the painting! It’s inspired things like this that happen that never cease to fill my art and my life with joy as I see and feel God’s hand in my work as I work so instinctively. Thank you God for your continued presence in my life!
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Comments: 28
This is simply amazing! I searched a lot of images of Absalom, to have in my mind an idea of how he was looking like. It turned out very beautiful, as Biblie describes him!
I love the details you kept. His long hair, the pride in his eyes... And the color of his hair, very similar to David's. As I said, simply amazing!
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I love your comment....thank you so very much! Yes it was very important to me to gain a lot of likeness to David in Absalom's face because I really felt that he would have had a lot of David's great beauty in his features. I think in the end, my emotional connection to my own children and the things they have suffered allowed me to paint something very special into Absalom.
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as do you my beautiful friend! Thank you with all my
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the expression /emotion is just so touching and beautiful, beautify full of meaning painting
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Thank you Katerina! This turned out to be a very special painting for me....and I really treasure it. Thank you so much for your beautiful support that means so much to me!
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Awesome I just love how the lips turned out, and how one side of the face is darker than the other, suggesting an overcast, a present evil. So sorry to hear about the grief and sorrow you have been through with your children.
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Love your interpretation my friend...hadn't thought of that visual reflection of the dark and light. Yes, also very fitting for this young man isn't it?
Fortunately, I CAN say that my children are now close and out of the trauma of teenage insanity. I truly thought I would lose one daughter in the middle of the trauma. Persistent prayer, sometimes days and nights long pulled us through it and God never left me...and He helped in ways that are more numerous to count. So now, painting this piece when we've come out the other end allowed me to understand and reflect on the sadness and grief....but also...to heal...
God bless you my friend!
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Sure is.
Hmm, being a teenager is pretty depressing at the moment. Surrounded by fou language, confusing media and what-not trying to remain on the path of righteoussness can be very difficult. Especially when friends who have strayed away from the path try and get you to follow them.
I really, really, really need to pray to God more.
Thanks, and may God bless you too!
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Yes it is tough my dear friend, I can see that with my own kids and it brings me to tears many times to see their struggle and how hard it is to keep them close to Our Lord and Our Lady.
It's a fact that as Christians, we are fish swimming upstream against the current of sin against us. But with our constant faith in Jesus, He grants us the grace and strength we need to keep Him close and remain with Him. And of course you're right, prayer is the answer to that!
I too have to take as much time as I can fit in a day to pray...without it, I'd rather starve to death! I can't live in this world and cope with what I see everyday happening in it without the grace of Jesus. You have my prayers dear friend. Keep strong!
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When/if I have kids I'm seriously considering having them home schooled. School is just so depressing and full of demons that coax out bad habits. I mean, I NEVER swore before I went to highschool and even then I held out for a year before I finally gave in it and spent the next year hard out swearing. If it wasn't for the fact that I made it a part of my Lenten promise to give up swearing I would probably still be at it. Although I did fall once again but when Lent arrived again God helped me back onto my feet, now I never swear and despise swearwords.
Yeah, and nowdays the current is getting faster and stronger and more and more of us are giving up. Not only is there a current but also predators eager for a feed of helpless fish. And the waters are getting polluted by the media and it is losing it's purity.
I am really trying to dedicate at least one artwork to God a month as a monthly prayer, and since I'm getting into digital 3D modelling it will probably be in the form of that.
Btw did I tell you about what I think is my calling from God? Something I will dedicate my life to?
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I am actually grateful you are sharing with me my dear friend...I want to help in any way I can.
And no you didn't tell me what your calling is? I'd love to know!
And can I share something with you? Every time you feel tempted to fall from a state of grace...take a really, REALLY good look at the poor souls around you...and remember who's face they will see when they are judged...and we too must remember. And it's a sad fact that those who are not walking with Jesus are on the losing team....Satan has already been defeated...he may take souls with him but the war has already been won! With Jesus...we're on the winning team
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It feels good sharing deep things you have never told anyone, I have something I've really wanted to talk to someone about but it's kinda embarrassing and scary.
Well, I wish to make a large simulation game, probably computer based, which goes through the history of the church. For example if you wanted to view Jesus' death or maybe the time when Constantine was converted to Catholicism, then you would find the time period in which it happens which will bring you to a menu of all the events that happened there and you can walk through and explore. You would witness history from what ever angle you wish, and the background events that also happened.
So I was thinking of making it sort of game based in terms of having to collect things and do certain tasks to add in a fun factor to it, and to add a storyline behind it with the character you control being a Catholic who is feeling oppressed by the present world and is losing her/his faith and begs God to help her strengthen it. An Angel sent by God appears before her and takes her through the history of the church starting with the death of Christ, because that is when the Church came into being from what I know, correct me if I'm wrong. After you finishes each era you can then return to them later to review them and/or collect the collectables that you missed. You will also not only control the main character but at certain points of the game the angel also, and you would have to fight off the demons that try and attack the main character.
This would be a pretty massive project that I'm gonna start after university and after I get a bit of experience within the gaming industry, so i'll be around 30 before it's even really started. I also realize that it would require quite a bit of funding, which I can hopefully get, and a large team of highly experienced coders and artists, because this game would require building form scratch a fair amount of cities that are 100% explorable, more or less.
That is what makes me so depressed, those souls shattered and hopeless, knowing not that Christ is the Light, knowing nothing but the lies Satan feeds them.
Yeah, my priest said something in a homily a while back along these lines. 'What people don't realise is that Satan is not attacking the Church as much as the Church is attacking Satan. We are so much more powerful that Satan does not stand a chance against us'
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that IS a massive project and sounds amazing my friend! I really hope you are able to achieve your calling, I really do 
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I'm actually hoping to kinda get started on it this Christmas holidays by doing a ton of research and drawing up some concept sketches. Thanks!
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Beautiful, love the lips and eyes have such emotion!
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They really do...and I can't take credit for that, honestly...that was God's hand, not mine
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I love this! Particularly the color! and the eyes and face. 
This is one of your better ones I think.
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I love this too...that something very special happened in this painting...and that grace does not come from me as you well know. This is when God's hand moves my work and I'm simply the vessel...it is His grace that continues to touch my life so deeply.
And how cool was the impasto 'accident'? lol...I was really quite stunned when I stepped back and realised it really did look like his hair...I knew then it was important part of his character that needed to be there and God made sure it was! lol. How awesome God is and how much I love Him
Thank you again for your wonderful appreciation and words. I really do enjoy reading what you have to say about my work.
I also believe this is one of my best so far...along with a couple of others. I'm very reluctant to sell this one....think I will hold onto it for a while and let God tell me what He would like me to do with it.
God bless you
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Grace is... well, I'll leave it at that.
You're welcome.
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