But what does it mean?

I have been thinking lately about what exactly art means to me. While I am a person of very little knowledge on the subject, I am still interested and in many ways it moves me. For me personally, it is the little things in a painting or a work that allow me to gain insight such as the color, the immense detail embedded to the work, or the meaning, symbolism and thought that is being poured out. 

In the Ashmolean Museum there was a particular painting that stood out to me. It was nothing special or by a renown artist. To be honest, I do not even remember who painted the picture. On the contrary, it is a special painting because it helped me to see from a new angle. It was a picture of the priests in the temple talking and studying together when Jesus went as a little boy during the Passover. Mary and Joseph are in the corner of the frame with frantic expressions upon their faces looking for desperately for their lost son. 

The priests hardly even take notice of the parents in the corner. They are gathered round in a circle, surrounding books and in depth conversation. One man has his back turned away from the audience, which I liked, because it gives the audience the idea and feel that they are looking in on this narrative story. This painting also prompted me to thinking what it would be like to sit around with the priests of this time, to hear what they had to say and learn from them. Better yet, what would it be like to sit around with Jesus, the Son of God as a priest and realize that you didn't have it all together. We, thankfully, have the opportunity and invitation to sit and talk with Jesus everyday. But what would it be like to sit in a room with Him, hearing his voice, looking into his eyes, touching his skin, having him wash your feet. 

To me, this is why art is so amazing. I have thought about these things before, but never have I had a visual image of what this might be like. Reading and thinking something are very different from seeing it. I love this painting because it made these ideas come to life in a beautiful visual form.