"Avalon"
Oil, 30" x 24", 2001
The Holy
Grail is one of the most intriguing mysteries of all time. It's
powers are able to heal man and supply food for thousands; anyone
that drinks from the grail is rewarded with eternal life. Avalon is
the Celtic word for the Other World and is supposedly one of the
places that the Holy Grail was hidden
while
waiting for the third Grail Keeper, Alain. In this painting I am
portraying Avalon and the symbolism of The Holy Grail. Here is a
detailed explanation:
The Rock
on Oak Island, The Grail, and The Shroud: This is the
centerpiece of
the painting. My version of the Holy Grail is painted on top of the
Rock on Oak Island. The rock is an actual artifact that was
discovered on Oak Island a few years ago. It has an inscription on
it and some believe the inscription to translate as: "Forty Feet
below two million pounds are buried." It is believed that this is
one of the possible resting places of the Holy Grail. I made my own
inscription and I wrote it in Early
Northern
Semitic text, it reads: "Drink my blood for eternal life." Behind
my inscription is The Shroud of Turin symbolizing Jesus Christ. In
this painting, the rock
serves as the crucifix and the blood that is drawn from Jesus in the
grail.
The
Cherubs, the Communion wafer, and the Knights: On the sides of
the Rock on
Oak Island, I have painted two cherubs. These Cherubs are catching
blood from the Shroud of Turin. This represents Joseph of
Arimathaea catching Christ's blood with the grail after the
crucifixion. To the right of the rock is a communion wafer. Joseph
was jailed because everyone thought that he stole the body of Christ
after the crucifixion. It is believed that when Joseph was jailed
that a dove brought in a wafer
and placed
it in the grail to keep him alive. The doves in the top part of the
painting are flying in to capture the wafer and bring it to Joseph.
To the left of the rock I have 3 knights: Percival and two
nameless knights. This goes back to the first crusades and it is
believed that Percival is one of three knights that actually touched
and participated in the grails mysterious powers. Here Percival is
walking on air across a ravine and the other two knights don't have
enough faith and fall to their deaths. Have
you ever seen Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade? There...you...go.
The
Sacrificial Fish: The fish is an adult salmon and represents
the food that can be
produced by the Grails powers. A table of 13 was made by Joseph of
Arimathaea to represent the Last Super and a fish was laid in
Christ's place. No one was allowed to sit in that seat and if they
did, they died instantly. Mysteriously, a few hundred years later,
Percival sat in the seat and lived, which made everyone believe that
he was the chosen one to find the grail.
“To Whom does the
Grail serve”
Original: $300.00
Order
Giclee Prints
Copyright © Joe
Bartz 2009