God as burden: A theological reflection on art, death and God in the work of Joost Zwagerman

Rein Brouwer

doi:10.4102/hts.v73i4.4338

Abstract

In one of his essays on art, Dutch author and essayist Joost Zwagerman (1963–2015) reflects onthe work of (Dutch) South African artist Marlene Dumas (1953). Zwagerman addresses inparticular Dumas’ My Mother Before She Became My Mother (2010), painted 3 years after hermother died. In his reflections, Zwagerman proposes an interpretation of Dumas’ work. Hesuggests that Dumas, in her art, does not accept the omnipotence of death. Maybe againstbetter judgement, but Dumas keeps creating images that not only illustrate the desire formeaning but also embody this desire. The image and the desire for meaning merge in Dumas’paintings. The painting itself becomes an autonomous ‘desire machine’, according toZwagerman. In this article, a (practical) theological reading of Zwagerman’s own posthumouslypublished volume of poetry, ‘Wakend over God’ (2016), is presented, with a specific interest inart, death and God. The sacramental hermeneutics of Richard Kearney and the theopoetics ofJohn Caputo are brought into the conversation to elicit the dimensions of faith and religion inZwagerman’s own ‘desire machine’.

Highlights

In De stilte van het licht [The Silence of the Light], a volume of essays on art and popular culture, published on the day of his death, Dutch author, poet and essayist Joost Zwagerman (1963–2015) reflected on the work of, amongst others, Marlene Dumas (b. 1953). Zwagerman (2015:271–278) addressed in particular Dumas’ My Mother Before She Became My Mother (2010), painted 3 years after her mother died
With the last reference to Caputo, I suggest that Zwagerman as a poet waits for the event to come and welcomes the stranger (God), even when he appears to be a burden
When we ponder his language, it does not seem to be a ‘weak’ event. It comes like a killer, threatening, stalking

Summary

Introduction

In De stilte van het licht [The Silence of the Light], a volume of essays on art and popular culture, published on the day of his death, Dutch author, poet and essayist Joost Zwagerman (1963–2015) reflected on the work of, amongst others, Marlene Dumas (b. 1953). Zwagerman (2015:271–278) addressed in particular Dumas’ My Mother Before She Became My Mother (2010), painted 3 years after her mother died. I reflect on Zwagerman’s ‘Watching over God’, questioning the nature of the desire for meaning he embodies in his poems. Artistic codes, like a painting by Marlene Dumas, or a poem by Joost Zwagerman, communicate religious information and might contribute to faith knowledge.

Results

Conclusion