Gospel in Art: Holy Saturday

Wanderer above the Sea of Fog, by Caspar David Friedrich, 1818 © Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 19 April 2025
Luke 24:1-12

On the first day of the week, at early dawn, the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, 'Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.'

And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the Apostles, but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.

But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marvelling at what had happened.

Reflection on the painting

After journeying through the fourteen Stations of the Cross yesterday and Jesus being laid in the tomb, we now arrive at Holy Saturday-a day steeped in stillness, rest and contemplation.

And that is precisely what the lone figure in our painting is doing: reflecting. He stands upon a high precipice, gazing out over a vast sea of fog that blankets a rugged, mountainous landscape. The artist, Caspar David Friedrich, masterfully captures the fragile, fleeting presence of humanity amidst the grandeur of nature. Yet, there is an unmistakable tension in the air, a sense that change is imminent. The fog will lift, the sun will break through, and light will flood the shadowed valleys. Tonight, at the Easter Vigil, the fog will lift. The darkness will be pierced by light. Christ will rise!

It is no small detail that Friedrich chose a vertical canvas for this work, defying the traditional horizontal format of landscape painting. This upright orientation mirrors the stance of the solitary figure, drawing our eyes upward and hinting that there is more here than mere scenery. It is as though the figure stands on the threshold of the transcendent, caught in a moment of awe, encountering something far greater through the beauty of creation.

But for now, we wait in silence. We wait, poised between the death of Jesus and the birth of new life. We are in an in-between moment. In stillness, we await the resurrection... an aching stillness in quiet anticipation...

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/luke-24-1-12-2025/ (with audio)