Notre Dame Cathedral in Ashes

I was reading the news that a massive fire on the roof of Notre Dame Cathedral was burning, and could not believe it. Although, Notre Dame is not one of the seven wonders of the world, it is the most iconic structure in France from history (Eiffel tower maybe on equal footing in modern history). How could the Cathedral with all our modern safety standards and equipment accidentally catch fire? When the unfathomable happens, then we cannot but help be curious. Especially, to one of the unofficial wonders of the world.

Every hour I would check the news to see if the fire was extinguished. It reminded me of 9/11 ... yet, unlike 9/11, no one was killed, no terrorists were to blame, and the structure remained standing. 24 hours later when the fire expired, pictures of the interior began to appear online. One caught my attention. The picture was taken from the pews looking onto the altar in front of which the roof had collapsed, and one could still see the smoldering ashes of the timber beams lying in a heap. The altar remained un-ruined with the golden cross still standing.

For those of a religious propensity, this must have been an miraculous sight. What a sign or what a miracle - God saved his altar - the most sacred physical location within the church. Yet, I laughed because within the same picture, all the pews and chairs remained upright and untouched. So he also saved the most important location for our butts when attending Sunday Mass. What a juxtaposition - serenity amongst the destruction with a touch of humor.

As soon as I saw this picture, I wanted to draw it! I have never done architectural drawings, and thought that this would be a fantastic opportunity to test my nonexistent architectural drawing skills. It also falls into one of my favorite themes which is Christian mythology.

I wanted to next spend some time making two observations (1) Drawing architecture is hard; and (2) I draw/paint mythology not religion themes.

Drawing Architecture

Simply put, drawing straight lines without a ruler is hard. But the reason we do it as it is the sign of a great artist to free-hand draw lines. Additionally, it is hard to transfer the random architectural shapes onto paper. I will use the Corinthian column (which appeared a few times) as an excellent starting point. We all know what a Corinthian column is - it "is the most ornate of the Greek orders, characterized by a slender fluted column having an ornate capital decorated with two rows of acanthus leaves and four scrolls." Or at least those of us who took art history, architecture, or ancient history would know this description. But my mind could not differentiate the leaves and scrolls. It just looked like all squiggly lines and rough shadows.

Yet, that's what is cool about art, I drew what my mind interpreted my eye saw - these squiggly lines and rough shadows. Now looking at the whole drawing, the columns do feel like Corinthian columns. However, if I showed this piece to my classically trained architect friend, he would likely say, "it's shit," and then he would draw from memory a beautiful column to show me how it's done. This is why I probably will not show him. However, practice makes perfect, and I did enjoy drawing this architectural piece, and will probably do others as well.

Christian Mythodology

Mythology is defined "as a collection of myths, especially one belonging to a particular religious or cultural tradition." And myth is defined as "a traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events." The quintessential mythology would be Homer's Iliad and the Odyssey wherein he describes the sacking of Troy by the Greeks and tells a story of how the heroes and gods interact. The Bible could also be considered a collection of myths depending on what you believe.

I am not a devout Catholic. Actually, according to the Church, since I never under went first communion I'm probably not a "True" Catholic. Since I attend mass infrequently, I'm probably the worst Catholic - the "holiday" Catholic (actually that is not true - there are worse worshippers). I was raised in a Catholic household, but I have a difficult time in believing. Not to say, that I don't want to believe. I would like to very much believe, and Pascal says that I should. But as a scientist I lean towards the growing sentiment that "this is it and who knows what comes next."

Yet in the face of this nondevoutness and questioning of belief, I am drawn to images of the crucifixion and Jesus. But this does not make me a religious artist, nor do I want to be type cast. And that is why I differentiate myself by stating that I like to paint "Christian Mythology." I love the story of a supernatural being who is very wisdomess, willing to share his knowledge and kindness with others, and in the end sacrifice himself for the redemption of all. That is a powerful tragic "hero" story, and I love hero stories, especially the tragic ones.