An Artful Approach: Reflecting on the Past to Forewarn and Foretell

Abstract

On the wall of the Rijksmuseum hangs Rembrandt’s Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem. This work of art captures a weary prophet who is now grieving the previously forewarned and preventable suffering of his people and the destruction of their land. Acclaimed as the Master of Light, Rembrandt’s chiaroscuro achieves a dramatic effect. The dark, seemingly dream-like backdrop, depicts the calamitous consequences of Jeremiah’s unheeded warnings. His people bore cultural, ethnic, linguistic, and religious oppression; they suffered such horrors as colonialism as they and their land were exploited. Yet, beams of light burst through the darkness; Rembrandt illuminated Jeremiah with a seemingly divine touch of hope <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref1" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">[1]</xref> , <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref2" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">[2]</xref> . The prophet is dejected but not in despair. Historical narratives teach us Jeremiah never lost hope; decades of suffering did not breed bitterness as he held fast to the promise of justice and restoration for his people <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref1" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">[1]</xref> , <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref3" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">[3]</xref> , <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref4" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">[4]</xref> .