To Be or Not To Be: The Artist and The Preacher

To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether 'tis Nobler in the mind to suffer
The Slings and Arrows of outrageous Fortune,
Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them:

To die, to sleep
No more; and by a sleep, to say we end
The heart-ache, and the thousand Natural shocks
That Flesh is heir to? 'Tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wished.

To die to sleep,
To sleep, perchance to Dream; Ay, there's the rub,
For in that sleep of death, what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause. There's the respect
That makes Calamity of so long life.

 

Reference: From Hamlet Act 3 Scene 1: Shakespeare

Photo courtesy - Wikimedia Commons

One of Van Gogh's last completed works before committing his self-inflicted fatal injury was At Eternities Gate (Jul 1890).  The title alone reflects his state of mind in the final days of his earthly treadpath revealed here as perhaps he wrestles with "shuffling off his mortal coil" and crossing the one-way threshold into eternity to meet his Maker. From the subject's perspective in the painting, he would see darkness, feel tension in the clenched hands, hear the crackling of the fire, and feel the posture of sitting in the chair.  Only the subject, not the viewer, would ever fully know his internal state of mind.

From the viewer's perspective, there are only three objects of note in the location, the subject, the chair and the fire. I sense anguish and fatigue and indecision in the subject's posture as he wilfully shuts out the light of day by covering his eyes with his own clenched hands as if in a feeble attempt to stop observation of all things, to not look at the viewer, and to stop time. Only from his autobiographical letters are we made aware of his recurring efforts to still the demons of internal mental illness and anguish.  Many of those bouts were incapacitating for his artistic endeavors for longer and longer periods of time creating further anxiety and frustration in direct conflict with his creative pursuit. Because of his theological studies early in life, can we surmise that he may even be in a posture of prayer conversing with and wrestling with his Maker? Earlier in Van Gogh's Still Life with Open Bible (1885), the book is opened to the suffering servant depiction in Isaiah 53:3-5. Is the natural man wrestling with the spiritual man? With thoughts of suicide, the consequences of the irretrievable act in the flesh might be daunting for a Christian believer with an eternity to consider for the final disposition of the human spirit. Heaven or hell? For the natural man, the fire is burning bright in his artistic productions despite his limitations and provides warmth in its proximity but may diminish to embers in the future or die out to dark coals without fuel to continue. But for the spiritual man? Is that a crackling of a symbolic hellfire we hear in the otherwise quiet stillness of the contemplative room?

To Be or Not to Be? THAT IS THE QUESTION. No doubt in my mind. Every moment of every day. And, there is Calamity in so long a life as apportioned to us in fleeting moments. I can respect these things.... along with the diversity of thought from folks who propose that some artist other than Shakespeare created those lines. As Artists, we hope we can change the world amidst its Calamity with our unique hand. Let's create Order from Chaos. Let's create Something Humble or Magnaminous from Nothing. Lets paint. And.....Lord.....please have mercy on us poor sinners and help us all with abundant grace and overflowing mercies. I need more than my talent. Thank you Van Gogh.  ;o)