LIFE AS MYTH
JOURNAL
LIFEWORKS
ATLAS
SUMMER 2014
HODEGETRIA
It was like seeing a dearly loved friend in a completely unexpected place. In this case, the place was The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the dear friend was this painting. Berlinghieri's The hodegetria ("she who shows the way"). We ran into each other yesterday, just before museum closing, right about the time the sky opened up with a drenching rain.
The Hodegetria [Greek, she who shows the way] is an artistic motif which features the Virgin Mary pointing to the infant Christ whom she holds in her arms. This traditional composition conveys the idea of Christ as the vehicle of salvation. Church tradition identifies Saint Luke as the artist of the first version of the Hodegetria. That icon was a full-length, double-sided version which featured an image of the crucifixion on the reverse. There are many copies of that work but it is likely that the original is now lost.
I just want to pay tribute to this beautiful friend right now. I truly believe this is a universal experience, whether we are creating or encountering. Art can stop us in our tracks, alter our lives, show us the way.
Hodegetria. Berlinghiero Berlinghieri. 1230. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
The Hodegetria [Greek, she who shows the way] is an artistic motif which features the Virgin Mary pointing to the infant Christ whom she holds in her arms. This traditional composition conveys the idea of Christ as the vehicle of salvation. Church tradition identifies Saint Luke as the artist of the first version of the Hodegetria. That icon was a full-length, double-sided version which featured an image of the crucifixion on the reverse.
