Meditation on the Via Crucis with Joseph Capelle


Joseph Capelle is a South African artist who composed a series of paintings for the Way of the Cross in the Holy Trinity Church in Braamfontein, Johannesburg in South Africa. With the permission of the artist and the pastor of Holy Trinity Church, we publish here the paintings and the reflections of the artist as a prayer for the Triduum.

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1. Jesus is condemned to death

There is a complete contrast between the way Pilate and Jesus are shown in this Station. Pilate is flamboyantly and richly dressed, wearing an elaborate headdress and a colorful African type collar. He is the epitome of power and confidence. Jesus, on the other hand, is completely submissive and clothed in a garment that symbolizes his imprisonment. The scene is set against a prison wall.

The face of Pilate is divided into two, the yellow symbolizing life and the blue death. The yellow side of his face incorporates a bird in flight. If his judgment is to be life, it would mean that Jesus would be set free but human kind would have no redemption. The dark blue side of Pilate's face incorporates a black cross and three nails in his headdress, indicating the instruments to be used to kill Jesus, if he is to be condemned. The blue sky behind this side of his face symbolizes our redemption.

At the bottom left hand side, Pilate washes the guilt from his hands. The two faces at the top right hand show one person shouting condemnation and the other blinded by prejudice and fear. My thoughts: How often do we condemn or judge because of prejudice and fear?

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2. Jesus takes up his cross

Jesus looks up to his Father, offering up the cross in reparation for all our sins. At the base of the painting, humanity crawls, snail like and entangled in the lines that keep them stuck to the earth and to earthly matters. Only one of the figures looks up at Jesus with any understanding. The shapes and entangling lines are carried up into the cross behind Jesus, but now they are the symbol of our redemption.

The bird above the head of Jesus symbolizes all the souls that will be redeemed by his sacrifice. The stripped area on the right represents a barrier between heaven and earth that is lifted as he lifts the cross.

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3. Jesus falls for the first time

Jesus looks up as he falls under the weight of the cross. An evil spirit at the top of the painting looks down on Jesus, tempting him, in vain, to give up his journey to Calvary. The shapes above his head symbolize the cross crashing down upon him.

My thoughts: Do we feel overburdened, sometimes ready to give up? Do we despise others as they fall under the weight of their crosses? Jesus gives us strength and hope to fulfill our vocation.

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4. Jesus meets his mother

Jesus, despite his suffering, reaches out tenderly to his grieving mother, totally concerned with her suffering. Around them, swirling, blood stained shapes unite them for a moment.

The triptych at the top depicts the Annunciation, the Nativity and the family life of Mary, Joseph and the child Jesus. These memories make the scene much more personal and painful for the grieving mother.

My thoughts: Are we present to families going through difficulties or mourning a loved one?

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5. Simon of Cyrene is forced to take up the cross

Jesus shows great dignity as he is portrayed as both sacrifice and as priest. The red cross passing through him and the two black crosses on his vestment foreshadow the scene at Calvary with Jesus in the middle and the two thieves on each side. In contrast, Simon is bent double under the weight of the cross, still reluctant and uncomprehending.

The shapes at the top right hand corner symbolize our journey through life but which for Jesus will end at the place of the skull.

My thoughts: Do we offer our help to all who need it? Or are we reluctant in our support?

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6. Veronica wipes the face of Jesus

Despite the angry reaction of a bystander shouting abuse, Veronica reaches out to wipe the face of Jesus. This is an act of love and bravery in an adverse situation.  The triptych above shows: a victim in a torture chamber, spikes piercing his face; a hooded prisoner tied up in a cell; a battered wife or partner, her face half hidden to hide her shame and a single star in an empty sky, symbolizing her isolation.

My thoughts: When we find people imprisoned in a life of misery, do we add to their burdens or do we reach out in a way that helps to relieve their suffering?

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7. Jesus falls for the second time

Jesus falls backwards, crying out in shock and pain. The red shapes surrounding him represent the cross, crashing down with him. The blue background is broken up with white lines that graphically represent a sheet of glass suddenly and violently breaking. This is a metaphor for the second fall of Jesus. The ladder at the right of the painting stretches from heaven to earth, souls representing humanity are attempting to reach heaven but many are slipping and falling back.

My thoughts: Jesus gets up and fulfills his vocation. Do we lose hope and slip down the ladder or do we climb back to fulfill our vocations.

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8. Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem

Jesus raises his hand in admonishment of the women. "Do not cry for me but for yourselves and your children" (Luke 23:28). This station represents war. His face is green and red eyes show pain and sorrow at the horrors of war. He sees into the future: all the endless wars that are to come. In the background, a tower explodes, reminiscent of the 9/11 tragedy. Burning houses are silhouetted ion the horizon.

Even in the midst of his suffering, Jesus is still concerned with the suffering of all humanity.

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9. Jesus falls a third time

Jesus comes crashing down onto the pavement. The red surrounding his face signifies his blood and the violence of his fall. His face is contorted with pain. The cross is suggested in a non-figurative way on the top right of the painting. Two bystanders in yellow observe the scene helplessly. Everything in the painting leads to a feeling of collapse.

My thoughts: Jesus continues in spite of the obstacles. Do we give encouragement to those who fail often or do we add to their struggle?

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10. Jesus is stripped of his garments

This station expresses the terrible violence, indignity and exposure of being stripped in public. Physically, the stripping reopens the wounds of the scourging. The shapes at the left and bottom seem to indicate that the painting itself is being torn apart. Behind Jesus is the cross upon which he is about to die. On each side of the cross are faces partly veiled. This signifies that we are able to hide behind our own facades but Jesus does not have this luxury.

My thoughts: Do we expose and strip away other people's facades and judge them without understanding them?

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11. Jesus is nailed to the cross

Jesus cries out in pain as he is nailed to the cross. Surrounding this image is the outline of a church and a crucifix is shown within. Do we keep Jesus nailed to the wall of the church so that he will not intrude in our daily lives?

Outside the church are the people who reject God in descending order:
A person whose head extends into a tall reservoir of knowledge, being simply too clever and educated to believe in God. His face is turned away from the church.
A person whose face is barely visible as a large spoon is tied on with barbed wire. This is the type of person who is totally greedy and self indulgent. A spoon is a means of feeding oneself but a spoon this size blinds a person to everything around and he is aware only of himself. The spoon can not be removed because of the barbed wire and God, who would be able to help, has no place in this situation.
A person who represents the super rich. She looks at the church over her shoulder, not wanting to get involved with anything as unpleasant as a crucifixion and death. She is expensively dressed and wears a silly hat.
The image of these three figures is absurd as is a life lived away from God. Above the figures are colorful, swirling spheres, representing all the distractions that keep us away from God.

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12. Jesus dies on the cross

Jesus hangs from the cross, looking down on a scene that is so common in South Africa, a family escaping from a burning shack. The father leads his family out of danger and the mother's hair becomes a cloak enfolding the child in her protection and love. The child cries out in fear with a prayer that takes the form of a leaping flame that flies up towards the dying Christ. The love of Jesus is with all those persecuted or victimized.

My thoughts: Do we discriminate against our neighbor or deny them their human rights just because they are different from us?

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13. The body of Jesus is placed in the arms of his mother

Mary embraces her dead son in an act of protection. She uses a cloth to wipe away some of the blood and sweat. The body in her arms shows total exhaustion. His work is now complete. The empty cross stands behind them. In the top right hand corner is a dramatized version of the eclipse of the sun. A red flash cuts right across the painting to emphasize the violence of his death. Mary's grief reflects that of all parents who lose a child violently.

My thoughts: Can we not see Jesus in all who die violent deaths and why do we not reach out to them even before the event?

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14. Jesus is laid in the tomb

The body of Jesus lies in the tomb, broken and covered by the shroud, suggested by white lines. The red spikes symbolize the violence of his death. The tomb is rendered in a two dimensional way. The two guards on each side appear toy like and are totally unable to stop what is about to happen. The shafts of light from their eyes miss Jesus completely and emphasize the fact that they are unseeing and uncomprehending of the drama that is taking place in front of them. The yellow indication of the sun in the white area and the two part circles to the right of this represent the fact the he died and on the third day rose again. The world now has no power over him.

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15. The resurrection

The painting depicts Jesus triumphant at the moment of resurrection. The white lines cutting across the painting from top to bottom represent shafts of light reflecting the glory of this moment. Those at the left are a reminder of the cross and the crucifixion. His raised hands shows one of the glorious wounds of his passion. Jesus is clothed in a beautiful robe.

The red banner falling away from his right shoulder symbolizes his being set free from earthly suffering and pain. The white banner around his head and right shoulder enfolds him in a new life of light and glory. The suggestion of the crown of thorns on the white banner is now a distant reminder of the crucifixion.

The non-figurative shapes above his head and to the right suggest the breaking open of the tomb. Death, at the bottom of the painting, cringes at the realization that he has been conquered. The figure at the right of the painting represents all humanity who will be saved by his death and resurrection. The figure is bowed down by all the earthly cares, disease, suffering and sin. A transparent veil unsuccessfully hides the torment within. The lines above the head seem to attach the figure to the tomb, showing how humanity is tied down with sin and suffering until our own deliverance.

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