Carl Bloch: HEALING OF THE BLIND MAN

THE STORY:

This painting portrays one of Christ’s often repeated and symbolic miracles.  As He and His disciples left Jericho, they passed Bartimaeus, a blind man, begging on the highway.   “And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.  And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me."

“And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called.  And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee.  And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus.  And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?  The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight.

“And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole.  And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.”

ANALYSIS:

The balanced composition of this painting lends a peaceful, still feeling to this painting, even though it is the very moment of the miracle. We seen both disciples and skeptical onlookers gathering behind Christ, watching. At the dead center of the painting is Christ's head, and the leaning diagonal of the blind man shows his expectation and his act of faith in asking to be healed.

“Emphasizing his blind condition, Bloch shows Bartimaeus begging in the shadow of the city walls; soon, he will stand and walk in the light.  His tattered raiment and the plate by his side attest to his dependence on the charity of others as they pass by.  As Jesus approaches, He reaches out to touch the eyes of the blind man.  The man on the left with a red turban looks on skeptically, and one of the disciples restrains the two young children so that this miracle may take place without interruption or commotion" (Pheysey and Holzapfel 87).

The church made a video a few years back called Finding Faith in Christ, and they composed several scenes of Christ's miracles after paintings by Carl Bloch. here is a still from the video that shows the echoed composition: 

One thing I find interesting in the film version is that the composition is no longer an X; rather, it is a triangle with Christ at the pinnacle. 

PERSONAL IMPACT:

The healing of the blind is a miracle that speaks to me (maybe because I'm next door to blind? Thank goodness for glasses). It's a theme that writers have hit hard throughout the ages, from Oedipus Rex and Odysseus to King Lear and Jane Eyre. 

At Bloch’s funeral, the pastor spoke about this painting.  “He observed that through a lifetime of painting, Bloch had likewise opened the eyes of many to the beautiful things of the world and to the kingdom of God” (Pheysey and Holzapfel 35). Isn't that a lovely tribute? He used his talents to follow the example of his Master, who literally and figuratively opened the eyes of the blind.

Dawn C. Pheysey and Richard Neitzel Holzapfel, The Master’s Hand: the Art of Carl Heinrich Bloch (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2010)