After Lunch by Patrick Caulfield 1975 Tate Liverpool
(©Patrick Caulfield Fair Use Application)
The kingdom of God is light … yeast, a mustard, a dragnet.
The artist Patrick Caulfield is best known for depicting the simple things of life with black lines and a limited colour palette; glasses of water, light-fittings and windows, office equipment or in this case a restaurant.
What’s interesting in this work is that while everything is boring and flat, Caulfield has intricately re-created the painting of a castle behind the fish tank. So, the representational thing in the room seems more real than the chair, the castle in the fish tank (a little in-joke) and even the human being looking through the hatch.
We are often thankful for the big, colourful things in our lives - the highlights if you like. We remember to give thanks when we get an extraordinary gift or have an amazing experience. We fail to give thanks when we open the fridge or walk to the bus stop. We notice famous artworks or even naff ones but fail to see the everyday design and craft of the tables and chairs around us. We don’t see the ordinary lines of our lives. This is what Caulfield draws our attention to. This is where we do our living, in this reality, not one of make believe and it is no less beautiful.
Jesus also draws our attention to the ordinary. The lines of his stories are about sheep and yeast, lamps and seeds. He takes ordinary objects and lets them speak with profound truth. Indeed, through his Spirit, he takes ordinary people and lets them share his love. This is our reality, this is where we do our Christian living and it is beautiful.
Prayer
Lord Jesus,
I look around me now and see the ordinary lines of life;
The people around me and the familiar objects of my day
They are real and beautiful.
I thank you for this existence.
I do not need to escape to unreal castles.
I will love and serve You here. Amen.
Suzanne Nockels