Mark Cazalet - Fool of God (Christ in the Garden)

Luke 22:39–44

The title refers to the Russian idea of ‘Holy Fools’, who ‘set God’s will above worldly wisdom, even to the point of martyrdom’.

Cazalet portrays Jesus with a single serpentine brush stroke. The reddy-brown contrasts with the greens and olives of the spare landscape. He seeks to capture the ‘moment of (Christ’s) most profound incarnation, fully in dread at the fate he knew would come as a man, yet faithful and obedient in his divine fulfilment of the sacrifice’.

These two biblical paintings (see also Nathaniel), from December 1993 to January 1994, result from Cazalet’s daily meditations. He sought to show the kernel of each Bible story and convey what God was trying to reveal through the character’s situation, the universal truths behind the familiar drama.  The impact is heightened by the small scale which, using hand-made paper with a cockled surface, gives a rich precious feel and creates a powerful summary of each subject.

Commentary based on A Guide to the Methodist Art Collection.