Historic Photoshopping

Every so often I encounter a story that just amazes me, usually because it reveals something so unexpected, so strange that I’m compelled to dig into it more deeply simply to overcome my inherent disbelief. 

I offer here a perfect example...but let me preface my comments by stressing that I am, by no stretch of anyone’s imagination, an art expert. I’m not even an amateur student of the fine arts. I’m just another among the hoi polloi who knows what he likes when it comes to art.

The story begins in Ghent, Belgium back in the early 15th century when an artist, Hubert van Eyck, was commissioned to create an altarpiece for St. Bavo’s Cathedral. Although Hubert designed and began painting the elaborate piece, he died before finishing the work. His brother, Jan, continued the work which took over 12 years to complete. To say the altarpiece is iconic would be a gross understatement. It is universally considered to be one of the world’s great artistic masterpieces. I’ve included a photo of the twelve interior panels of the altarpiece below. Because the altarpiece is hinged, there’s also an outer group of panels, but our story is focused on the larger, more elaborate paintings of the interior panels depicted here. (Click image to see larger version.)

The top seven panels depict the heavenly realm, centered on Christ the King, with the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist at His side. They in turn are flanked by angelic choirs and finally by Adam and Eve, who in their nakedness look very guilty indeed.

At the center of the lower five panels is the largest painting, the Adoration of the Lamb, depicting Jesus as the Lamb of God shedding His blood into the chalice on the altar. He is surrounded and worshipped by a large collection of people representing various sectors of humanity: sinners, saints, clergy, soldiers, royals, etc. The below image shows the lamb on the altar.

Some years ago it was decided to perform a complete restoration of the altarpiece. (The above close-up of the Lamb is post-restoration.) The three-phased restoration began in 2002 and was partially completed earlier this year. Phase three of the restoration will commence soon. As always happens with art restorations, some “experts” were appalled by the results. And that certainly happened with the Ghent Altarpiece restoration. Although the complaints were wide-ranging, much of the criticism focused on the figure of the Lamb of God in the large, central, lower panel. I’ve included below a close-up photo comparing the before and after look of the Lamb. (Click on the image to enlarge.)

The difference between the two is striking. On the left, we have the “before” version, a rather natural, placid looking, very sheep-like face. The contrast between it and the restored version is obvious. The restored Lamb of God presents us with an almost human face — the penetrating look in the eyes, the mouth with its full lips, the overall expression. Some of the harshest of the critics have called it “cartoonish” and complained that the restorers actually repainted the face, changing it from its original to this oddly anthropomorphic version.  

Well, guess what? It seems the only “repainting” took place long ago, and the restorers actually got it right. The scientific evidence — and I won’t bore you (or myself) with the details of how they do these things — shows that the painting had undergone a number of earlier “restorations” that really were over-paintings designed to alter the face of the Lamb. Helene Dubois, head of the restoration project, suggested that the original Lamb, with its nearly human face, and its penetrating, almost accusatory stare, might have been too much for those of later generations who encountered its expression every day. It was, therefore, over-painted to reflect more closely the “tastes” of later times. As the restoration progressed, the restorers were able to remove the successive over-paintings and uncover the original seen on the right above. According to the conservators, over 70% of the original panels were hidden or altered in a 1550 over-painting; and that’s 125  years after the van Eyck brothers’ original. 

I found this truly amazing. We think of photoshopping — the alteration of an image in a way that intentionally distorts reality — as a very modern, digital technique to make Aunt Alice look a little younger, a bit thinner than she really is. But here we see the same process applied to one of the world’s great artistic masterpieces by those who apparently thought the Lamb of God should be softened so He’d look more sheep-like, less human, and certainly less sacrificial. I guess "fake news" is nothing new. 

Why this was done we can only guess. Because of the timing, I suspect it’s related to the Reformation. The statues and other artwork of several of Ghent's Catholic churches were defaced or destroyed during those days, so perhaps the Lamb on the altar was perceived as simply too Catholic to be left as is. Repainting it as more sheep-like would make it more symbolic and less sacramental, less Eucharistic. The altarpiece may have been spared more serious damage because it was so highly regarded, so beautiful, and a valued part of Belgian heritage. But that's just my uneducated view and I may well be totally wrong.

Anyway, the altarpiece is being restored to its original state, giving us a far more accurate depiction of the faith of Belgians in 1425.   

Eight Unconnected Thoughts

Diane and me at GU (Statue: Bishop John Carroll)

Hoya Hypocrisy. Georgetown University, the oldest Catholic university in the United States, has invited Cecile Richards, the president of Planned Parenthood, to speak as a part of the university's Lecture Fund. Not only does Ms. Richards run the largest abortion provider in the nation, she also recently bragged about aborting her fourth child because three children were enough. In response to criticism, the Jesuit-run university claimed that Georgetown “deeply values our faith tradition that encourages the free exchange of ideas." I'm embarrassed to admit that before I entered the Naval Academy back in the early 60s, I attended Georgetown for a year. It was a very different institution back then. And I suspect GU's founder, Bishop John Carroll (1735-1815), would not be pleased with the changes.

Tough Guy. Some months ago Donald Trump publicly denigrated John McCain, a highly decorated Navy pilot and POW, as a bogus war hero because he was shot down, captured, and tortured by the North Vietnamese. This from a man who spent the Vietnam War dodging the draft. He talks real tough -- "I'll bomb the s--- out of ISIS" -- but doesn't have a clue about what that really means to those who must do the bombing. I expect the young Trump was motivated by the same thing that motivated most of the draft-dodgers I met during the Vietnam era. After a few beers they would let down their guard, drop the political excuses, and admit they just didn't like the idea of getting shot at. News flash: Who does? But when you do everything you can to avoid serving...well, we used to call that cowardice.

Just Wages. In his general audience Pope Francis stated that the Church doesn't want donations from the affluent if they exploit or underpay their workers. And while I completely agree with the Pope, I think he should direct some of his attention internally. Every survey I've seen indicates that the Catholic Church pays its lay employees somewhere between 15-30 percent less than those in equivalent jobs in Protestant churches and even less than those doing similar work in the private sector. In many instances the Church does not pay what could reasonably be considered a just or living wage, and retirement benefits are often non-existent or minuscule. Perhaps we should clean our own house first as an example to others. Too many Catholics simply do not support the Church and its mission, and too many bishops seem afraid to demand that they do so. Here's an article on the subject: Just Wage. 

Historical Myths. I've been a part-time student of the history of Islam for years and have always been puzzled by those historians who claim that Islamic Spain was a multicultural paradise in which Christians and Jews were treated with respect and dignity by their Muslim rulers. This is especially puzzling since virtually all of the contemporary evidence contradicts this belief. If you would like to learn the truth about Islamic Spain, you can find it in this wonderful, well-documented history by Darío Fernández-Morera, The Myth of the Andalusian Paradise. It's a page-turner. Read it. 

The Beheading of St. Eulogius of Cordoba in Muslim Spain

Catholic England. Another book of revisionist history has been around awhile. First published in 1992 and republished in a second edition in 2005, The Stripping of the Altars, by Cambridge professor Eamon Duffy, tells the story of the late medieval Catholic Church in England. It covers the period immediately before and during the early years of the Reformation, from 1400 to 1580. I've been meaning to read the book for years but just never got around to it. And then the other day I spotted a copy on our parish's free book shelf and grabbed it. It's a lengthy tome (over 600 pages of fairly small print) but filled with remarkable insights. 

Pistol-packin' Deacon. A few days ago my son, a former Marine, and I stopped by a local gun shop here in Florida where I picked up the forms needed to apply for a Florida concealed carry permit. When I mentioned this to one of my brother deacons he was apoplectic: "You're an ordained deacon, how can you carry a weapon?  It's not something Christians do." When I asked if Christians had a right to defend themselves and their families, he seemed to think it was alright but not if they used guns. I refrained from asking if I could use an ax. When I mentioned that as a Christian I always carried a sidearm when I flew as a Navy pilot, he mumbled something about wartime being different . As they say in New York, "Go figure!" Actually I just enjoy shooting and a permit will let me carry a pistol or revolver to a range without a lot of hassle.

God Exists. I keep encountering new, at least to me, revelations of God's presence in His creation. One day last week, in the late afternoon, while Maddie (our dog) and I were strolling through the neighborhood, I noticed the flicker of a fast-moving shadow on the nearby grass. Looking up I encountered a  marvelous sight: 42 white pelicans (I counted them) flying in two equally balanced V formations. The setting sun cast an amber glow that turned their wings to gold. They were perhaps 200 feet overhead and, despite their numbers, flew by us in complete silence. It was another of those beautiful, unrepeatable experiences that force you to accept the truth: the world is no accident. "And God saw that it was good."

Critical Vote. While the November elections in the United States could well determine the direction our nation will take for years to come, they are not the only 2016 elections with long-term worldwide ramifications. On June 23 the British people will vote in a referendum on Britain"s continued membership in the European Union (EU). Cleverly called "Brexit" (British Exit), the referendum has been scheduled as early as possible by Tory Prime Minister Cameron in the hope that the EU's growing troubles won't escalate much before June. Interestingly, although Cameron strongly favors continued  EU membership, many in his cabinet and as many as 150 Conservative MPs favor Brexit. Daniel Hannan, an elected Member of the European Parliament, explains here why Britain should vote to leave the EU and put him out of a job.