The Joy of Salvation as Reflected in the Arts

St Sebastian receives the crown and palm of martyrdom by Cerchia di Girolamo Siciolante (1570s)

...The jongleur was properly a joculator or jester; sometimes he was what we would call a juggler.  This is the point, I imagine, about the tale of Taillifer the Jongleur at the Battle of Hastings, who sang the death of Roland while he tossed up his sword and caught it, as a juggler catches balls.  Sometimes he may have been even a tumbler; like the acrobat in the beautiful legend who was called the "Tumbler of Our Lady," because he turned head over heels and stood on his head before the image of the Blessed Virgin, for which he was nobly thanks and comforted by her and the whole company of heaven.  

--Saint Francis of Assisi, G.K. Chesterton   

     A challenging question arose among from of my traveling companions as we explored the Vatican Museums a few weeks ago.  Why, he asked, were the faces of the martyrs and saints so sad?  Where was the joy of salvation evident?  The preceding Chesterton quote reminds us of the way in which joy should infuse our salvation.  Passages such as 1 Peter 1:3-9 also convey a sense of this joy.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice,[b] though now for a little while you may have to suffer various trials, 7 so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold which though perishable is tested by fire, may redound to praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Without having seen[c] him you[d] love him; though you do not now see him you[e] believe in him and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy. 9 As the outcome of your faith you obtain the salvation of your souls.

Of course, joy is also reflected very clearly within the Psalms of David.  Take a look, for example, at Psalm 71:22-24.  

22 

I will also praise thee with the harp

    for thy faithfulness, O my God;

I will sing praises to thee with the lyre,

    O Holy One of Israel.

23 

My lips will shout for joy,

    when I sing praises to thee;

    my soul also, which thou hast rescued.

24 

And my tongue will talk of thy righteous help

    all the day long,

for they have been put to shame and disgraced

    who sought to do me hurt.

     So, we see that the Bible is hardly lacking in expressions of joy and gladness.  (Of course, laughter also plays an important part.)  Why, then, does the art of the Vatican Museums seem to strongly reflect a more somber or serious level of faith?  If you take a look at the painting above as a single example, then read the 1st Chapter of Philippians, the answer begins to become a little clearer.  Bear in min, however, that the answer is more complicated than these dimensions alone might suggest.  For example, as in the case of Carvaggio, it was not uncommon for the Church to refuse acceptance of paintings that failed to meet expectations--e.g. there was financial safety in not attempting a new or provocative style.  It's also worth pointing out that the persecution of Christians by Rome certainly must have felt closer, more immediate, than it does today.  (emphasis added below)

15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel; 17 the former proclaim Christ out of partisanship, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in that I rejoice.

19 Yes, and I shall rejoice. For I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20 as it is my eager expectation and hope that I shall not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body,[e] whether by life or by death. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 If it is to be life in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. 24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.

     I decided to run this question by my father-in-law, religious artist John Carroll Collier, and he offered the following words.  "Sorrow and joy are inseparable in Christianity.  The greatest joy resulted from the greatest sorrow; we were saved by the death of Christ.  This joy and sadness must always be bound together in our faith."

For further reading, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

1028 Because of his transcendence, God cannot be seen as he is, unless he himself opens up his mystery to man's immediate contemplation and gives him the capacity for it. The Church calls this contemplation of God in his heavenly glory "the beatific vision": 

How great will your glory and happiness be, to be allowed to see God, to be honored with sharing the joy of salvation and eternal light with Christ your Lord and God, . . . to delight in the joy of immortality in the Kingdom of heaven with the righteous and God's friends.

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