Day 35 - Keeping It Simple?

White Cup and Saucer Henri Fantin-Latour (1836-1904) 1864 Oil on Canvas 19.4 x 28.9 cm no.1016

The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot (Psalm 16:5)

What could be more simple than a cup and saucer?

My day is full of little rituals. One of them is opening my kitchen cupboard in the morning to pick out my favourite cup. Mine is a colourful mug designed by the artist Pete McKee and a world away from this very simple white cup and saucer painted by Fantin-Latour.

Fantin-Latour has set the cup against a black background. It means that your eye is not distracted by anything else. You are mesmerised by the cup, saucer and spoon. The closer you look at this small painting the more you see. Can you see the different colours of the white? Can you see the colours change as the cup catches the light? Can you see the different shades within the black? Are the edges hard edges or do they melt into each other? Faintin-Latour was friends with some of the Impressionists including Whistler and Manet. Although his style largely remained traditional there are hints of Impressionism in his work. We forget how daring the Impressionist movement was at the time and how shocked people were about its loose brushwork. He also chose still life which was considered lower in the hierarchy of painting than historical or religious works. He honours the humble teacup and gives it his attention. It may be small but it is not simple.

It’s also strange how a little object like this tells a story or asks a question. The cup is set at a slight angle as is the spoon. It is not perfectly arranged. I wonder who has set it down? I wonder if they were engaged in conversation or five-minute’s peace? The dark background doesn’t give us any context.

Weirdly, this cup and saucer reminds me of the pre-monastic practices of the Desert Fathers and Mothers. They believed that God is present in every moment and that every day, mundane tasks, when performed with intention and mindfulness, act as a "laboratory of prayer". They noticed that human beings have an appetite for overstimulation i.e. the big and so they tried to cultivate a different intention by noticing the small in ordinary relationships, work and leisure. Not as easy or simple as it sounds.

So, perhaps while you drink your tea or coffee today you can notice your cup. Pay attention to its form and colour. Someone somewhere has shaped and made it. Are you drinking your drink in company or by yourself? Then perhaps pay attention to your soul or the thoughts in your mind. Where is there light and shadow in your day. Maybe neither are totally monotone. Where are there are hard and soft edges and are they where they need to be? What you discover might not be big, earth-shattering revelations but the small shifts of a soul. A loving potter God has formed you, you are not low in some hierarchy of worth and the subtle workings of your inner life also deserve tender attention without distraction.

Suzanne Nockels