076 - Judgement Day

076 - Judgement Day
Originally uploaded by gingerpig2000

I have had the original photo lying around for several months; it was taken at night and shows a church in the centre of Lublin with snow on its roof. However, I played around with the colours and used several tools to produce this, which in the Gimp file is formed from about 7 layers. I like the way the colour streams off the top of the tower like ragged flags, and wish I could apply paint that way - although not that I am concerned about my lack of ability to apply paint any more than would be by an artist who creates some installation involving sound/music written or played by someone else. I also wish I could fly, but I do not think it is essential that I am able to fly in order to satisfactorily move myself from one place to another.

Earlier in the week I had been thinking about how the image of the crucifixion is so limited - an unhappy man hanging from the cross in some state of agony. It must look completely ridiculous to people from other religions, or indeed anyone without religion. The point of Jesus being on the cross was to save mankind, not to make everyone feel guilty that he suffered. However, in terms of art or reproduction, the sufferers have it, and there is little in the imagery to indicate saving. I can see why Protestants removed Jesus and just celebrate the cross (figuratively, of course) - although I am not sure that this was the primary intention, the issue of veneration of idols probably was involved too.

So, my mind was ready, and lo! Here was an image of a church!

The intention was mere exploration of the various Gimp tools on an image taken with a camera with a very small lens that could not hope to gather enough light to form a good image. As the playing continued, I began to have ideas about the image, it appeared to show God's breath howling around the tower and frontal edge of this rather fortress-like representation of a house of God.

Red - burning away the encrustation
Green - renewal
White - reflection of His light

In the end I named the image 'Judgement Day', and I hope that it is unlike the normal tortured vision we let Christianity as a set of religious hierarchies get away with.