viernes, 31 de diciembre de 2010

"Three Kings", or "Three Wise Men",

Federico Cantú
Buril 1952



In Christian tradition, the Magi , also referred to as the (Three) Wise Men, (Three) Kings, or Kings from the East, are a group of distinguished foreigners who are said to have visited Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. They are regular figures in traditional accounts of the nativity and in celebrations of Christmas.
The Gospel of Matthew,[2] the only one of the four Gospels to mention the Magi, states that they came "from the east" to worship the Christ, "born King of the Jews". Although the account does not tell how many they were, the three gifts led to a widespread assumption that they were three as well.[3] Their identification as kings in later Christian writings is linked to Old Testament prophesies such as that in Isaiah 60:3, which describe the Messiah being worshipped by kings.[4] This interpretation was challenged by the Protestant Reformation.


In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews?
For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 'And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.'" Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another path.

martes, 28 de diciembre de 2010

The angels



Early Christians inherited Jewish understandings of angels, which in turn may have been partly inherited from the Egyptians.
In the early stage, the Christian concept of an angel characterized the angel as a messenger of God. Angels are creatures of good, spirits of love, and messengers of the savior Jesus Christ. Later came identification of individual angelic messengers: Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, Uriel, and Lucifer. Then, in the space of little more than two centuries (from the third to the fifth) the image of angels took on definite characteristics both in theology and in art.
By the late fourth century, the Church Fathers agreed that there were different categories of angels, with appropriate missions and activities assigned to them. Some theologians had proposed that Jesus was not divine but on the level of immaterial beings subordinate to the Trinity. The resolution of this Trinitarian dispute included the development of doctrine about angels.





The angels are represented throughout the Christian Bible as a body of spiritual beings intermediate between God and men: "You have made him (man) a little less than the angels..." (Psalms 8:4,5). Some Christians believe that angels are created beings, and use the following passage as evidence: "praise ye Him, all His angels: praise ye Him, all His hosts... for He spoke and they were made.


Famous angels and their tasks:

Malachim (translation: messengers), general word for angel
Lucifer (translation: light-bearer), angel that challenges god
Michael (translation: who is like God), performs God's kindness
Gabriel (translation: the strength of God), performs acts of justice and power
Raphael (translation: God Heals), God's healing force
Uriel (translation: God is my light), leads us to destiny
Seraphim (translation: the burning ones), sing and praise God
Malach HaMavet (translation: the angel of death)
Satan (translation: the prosecutor), brings people's sins before them in the heavenly court
Chayot HaKodesh (translation: the holy beasts)
Ophanim (translation: arbits) Astrological Influence
HaMerkavah (translation: the chariot), transports God's glory





CYDT Colección de Arte
Cantú Y de Teresa

domingo, 26 de diciembre de 2010

Natividad



The New Testament begins its account of Mary's life with the Annunciation, where angel Gabriel appeared to her and announced her divine selection to be mother of Jesus. Church tradition and early non-biblical writings state that her parents were an elderly couple named Joachim and Anne. The Bible records Mary's role in key events of the life of Jesus from his virgin birth to his crucifixion. Other apocryphal writings tell of her subsequent death and bodily assumption into heaven.


lunes, 20 de diciembre de 2010

Quinteto y Ángeles Músicos

Adoration in the Catholic Church takes several forms. One is the simple adoration of God Himself. Adoration also takes the form of Eucharistic adoration. The Catholic belief in transubstantiation is that the bread and wine literally become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, through which Catholics adore Jesus Christ in remembrance of what He gave. The host is usually placed in a monstrance, and reverently viewed at Benedictions and during adoration. Some churches contain "adoration chapels" in which the Eucharist is continuously on display that the faithful may observe their faith through it.



Quinteto
buril placa de cobre
Federico Cantú

En 1945 Cantú pinta una serie de paneles con Ángeles Músicos para la residencia de MacKinley Helm en Santa Bárbara California , posteriormente este tema se repite en la Pinacoteca Virreinal en formato Mural y culmina con la pequeña placa de cobre grabada al buril con el tema Quinteto.

Sirena & Flora




Alfonso Reyes y Federico Cantú, dos de los nuevoleoneses nacionales, incluso internacionales, tenían muchas cosas en común. Entre otras, su gusto por las cuestiones griegas y el pasado precolombino de nuestro país. Cuando se le acusaba de olvidarse de México para dirigir su mirada a Grecia, lo cual era totalmente falso, Reyes acostumbrada decir que “la única manera de ser provechosamente nacional consiste en ser generosamente universal” y agregaba “pues nunca la parte se entendió sin el todo”.



Du Thrace magique, ô délire !
Mes doigts sûrs font sonner la lyre.
Les animaux passent aux sons
De ma tortue, de mes chansons.


De la magia Tracia, la locura Oh!
Mis dedos que hacen el sonido de la lira.
Los animales son los sonidos
de mi tortuga, mis canciones.