The Storm on the Sea of Galilee

The Storm on the Sea of Galilee, Rembrandt van Rijn, 1633. Whereabouts unknown since 1990.

Questions

-Who do you notice first in this painting? If it is not Christ, can you identify where He is?

-The waves pushing up the boat receive the most light, what do you think this is supposed to tell us or call attention to?

-Where are you experiencing a storm in your life right now? Who in this painting do you identify with?

Reflection

The Storm on the Sea of Galilee always reminds me of Advent. This may seem strange, as we are going towards Christmas and many places experience snow and coldness in this season. A seascape may seem completely far away from the experience of Christmas and the coming of the Christ child. But thinking about the four themes of Advent - hope, peace, joy and love - I think we can find all of these within this art piece and see how fitting it is for this upcoming Advent season.

The first thing that I notice in this painting is the light that shines on the crashing waves and the men that are scrambling to prepare the boat for the beginnings of the storm. This is how my life often feels, like the spotlight is on the scary and troublesome things. I turn my full attention to the chaos, needs, or happenings of life that are around me and can only focus on that. I think that this is a common reaction to perceived or real danger, or even just the normal everyday happenings of life. Storms on a sea are not an unusual thing and many of these men are seasoned sailors, so they were used to reacting to the weather and responding to the needs in front of them. I feel this especially as a mother, who has a toddler who demands my attention, time, and full effort much of the time. I respond as quickly as I can and try to stop any disasters that I can. This response is not bad, but especially in this Gospel and painting it is not the true point or where our focus should actually be.

Our focus needs to be on what is within the darkness - Jesus Christ and the disciples who are listening to Him.

When you peer into the shadowed part of the painting, you still see the waves and moving water. But the real focus is on Jesus Christ, who has light emanating from Him that enlightens the faces of the disciples who are listening to Him. This scene in itself reminds me of Christ shining in the darkness of Advent. He is the Light of the World and has come to cast out all the darkness. His Kingly reign does not mean that all evil or danger is gone, it just means that it will not win. The storms and waves of life will never cease coming our way, if anything, being followers of Christ means that they may come more. But these storms are meant to purify us and bring us closer to Christ. We can cling to Him in the darkness and not understanding the reason or meaning of things. This closeness to the Lord, that is what gives us true hope, peace, joy and love.

This painting shows me hope in that the disciples are looking to Jesus to save them. They know He is powerful and can perform miracles. This belief in Him moves them to hope in His protective power. Jesus desires to protect us, from more than just the weather or world, He wants to protect us from the denigration and destruction of our hearts and souls that is caused by evil. There is peace in this painting because Our Lord has everything handled. Even though it may look like chaos and dangerous, Jesus is peaceful. He knows what will happen and His plan to bring us closer to Him. We can have peace in the craziness of our lives knowing that His Will be done if we hand over control and trust in Him. There is joy seeing how the Lord does not hesitate to help the disciples. He calms the storm, even though He does not need to. He sees their needs and worry and responds to them in real time. Jesus never hesitates to come near to us when we call out to Him, even when it is out of our immature needs, understanding, and even trust of Him. There is so much love in the presence of the Lord in the midst of danger and chaos. Love truly resides wherever our Lord is, especially in our hearts.

This Advent we can experience in a deeper way the presence of the Lord in our hearts, homes, and churches. Preparing for the Nativity of the Lord brings an awareness of how God resides within each and every one of us. The presence of the Lord in our own darkness is so important. When we are pulled into the whims, chaos, dangers, and busyness of this world we can feel so far from the Lord. But how often is it that He is actually fully present, just asleep within us, waiting for us to notice Him and call upon Him? Advent is joining ourselves with Mary to meditate on the infant Christ that dwells within each and every one of us. Mary had to allow Jesus to grow and sleep within her before He was to be born into this world. This Advent we can do the same thing - be aware of His presence within us and nurture it so tenderly so that when Christmas comes we can bring Him out into the world with powerful joy and love. Our Lord is always present, even when He may be quiet and not seeming to be very loud. We should respond with listening ears, softened hearts, and quiet voices to hear what He has to say and to simply dwell in His presence. He is here in the storms and darkness, let us focus on His shining light.

Information

This is one of the most fascinating paintings to me, for several reasons. There are only two Rembrandt paintings that I truly love - The Return of the Prodigal Son and this painting. Rembrandt does have several Biblical paintings, but none of them enchant and trap me quite like this one. The drama, the light source, and the small details are all beautiful and remind me of Baroque paintings but done in a very different style. The history of this painting and the story of its unknown whereabouts just adds to the legend, lore and popularity of this painting. I think that this is a great example of how the history of an art piece goes beyond the moment of creation - it changes over time and where it is and where it goes is truly a part of the art piece. This piece, while beautiful, probably would not have been as popular if it had not gone missing and continues to be to this day.

This painting is one of thirteen paintings that were stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum in 1990. This painting by Rembrandt along with a painting by Verrmeer were two masterpieces that were part of the theft, which we still do not know who conducted it to this day. The thieves got into the museum dressed as police officers, but their actual identities have never been figured out. All thirteen pieces are still missing, with more time passing by there is an increasingly unlikely chance that they will ever be recovered. This still remains as the largest art heist in U.S. history. I first heard about this story when Netflix came out with a documentary series in April 2021 entitled "This is a Robbery: The World's Biggest Art Heist". I would highly recommend it for anyone who is remotely interested in art, museums, true crime, or mysteries. I think that it truly shows how fascinating art and crime really is, as well as how mysteries capture our minds and imagination. It definitely did for me and this painting has increased in fascination and admiration from me since I found out that it is missing.

The museum still has empty frames where these art pieces were hanging the night they were stolen. This is just another way to remember what is missing but I think also it adds to the lore and focus of these paintings. This painting is the only seascape that Rembrandt ever painting, which makes it quite special, but it is even more special that is is missing. People love a mystery and getting invested in a story. This painting's history did not stop when it was created, but it is still being created and even amplified by this large event of it being stolen. It probably would not be as famous or the focus of so much attention if it was still in the museum. This is a fascinating part about art and beauty - the story never really ends, there is always more history to be made, experienced, and to partake in.

More Questions

-What darkness is the Lord present in your life currently?

-How can you slow down and rest as this Advent approaches?

-Hope, peace, joy and love are four central themes to Advent - how does this painting reflect those for you? How do you yearn for each of these this liturgical season?

Let us pray -

Lord, thank you for the seasons of life that bring us closer to your heart. Help us see and experience this Advent as an opportunity for rest, stillness, and depth of relationship with you alone. Bring us the hope, joy, peace, and love that you so desire for us and may we recognize you in the little moments of life. May we not be overtaken by the storms of life but instead turn our gaze to your presence in the darkness of our lives.

Amen.