Magnificat by Theophilia on DeviantArt

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Magnificat

By Theophilia

"Magnificat"

May 22nd, 2010

Scratchboard

"It is truly meet to bless you,

O Theotokos,

ever-blessed and most pure,

and the Mother of our God.

More honorable than the Cherubim,

and more glorious beyond compare than the Seraphim,

without defilement you gave birth to God the Word.

True Theotokos we magnify you!"

A Little Litany

G.K. Chesterton

When God turned back eternity and was young,

Ancient of Days, grown little for your mirth

(As under the low arch the land is bright)

Peered through you, gate of heaven--and saw the earth.

Or shutting out his shining skies awhile

Built you about him for a house of gold

To see in pictured walls his storied world

Return upon him as a tale is told.

Or found his mirror there; the only glass

That would not break with that unbearable light

Till in a corner of the high dark house

God looked on God, as ghosts meet in the night.

Star of his morning; that unfallen star

In that strange starry overturn of space

When earth and sky changed places for an hour

And heaven looked upwards in a human face.

Or young on your strong knees and lifted up

Wisdom cried out, whose voice is in the street,

And more than twilight of twiformed cherubim

Made of his throne indeed a mercy-seat.

Or risen from play at your pale raiment's hem

God, grown adventurous from all time's repose,

Or your tall body climed the ivory tower

And kissed upon your mouth the mystic rose.

I got the idea for this one after reading the Magnificat for Evening Prayer during the Divine Office. I've wanted to do it for a while, and I finally got around to it with the scratchboard because I'll have to return all my scratchboard materials back to my teacher next week. So I just figured I'd hurry up and finish it.

I must give credit where credit is due, but ~ThatOneGuy92 has inspired me to look at the Eastern church and its traditions (and of course, artistic traditions), so in a way this picture is very much inspired by him.

So, as I was thinking about how to represent Mary, I remembered the icons where Mary has her arms lifted up in a gesture of prayer and thanksgiving with Christ in her womb. And I thought, "Hey, that's PERFECT!!" So, here it is.

I later looked it up and the style of icon this is is called "Panagia Oranta."

Panagia (Greek: Παναγία, or fem. of panágios, pan- + hágios, All-holy), is also the term for a particular type of icon of the Theotokos, wherein she is facing the viewer directly, usually depicted full length with her hands in the orans position, and with a medallion showing the image of Christ as a child in front of her chest. This medallion symbolically represents Jesus within the womb of the Virgin Mary at the moment of the Incarnation. This type of icon is also sometimes called Platytera (Greek: Πλατυτέρα, literally wider or more spacious); poetically, by containing the Creator of the Universe in her womb, Mary has become Platytera ton ouranon (Πλατυτέρα τῶν Ουρανῶν): "More spacious than the heavens". This type is also sometimes called the Virgin of the Sign or Our Lady of the Sign, a reference to Isaiah 7:14 ("Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel"). Such an image is often placed in the apse of Orthodox church building. ([link])

Luke 1:46-55

"Magnificat anima mea Dominum,

et exsultavit spiritus meus in Deo salvatore meo,

quia respexit humilitatem ancillae suae.

Ecce enim ex hoc beatam me dicent omnes generationes,

quia fecit mihi magna,

qui potens est,

et sanctum nomen eius,

et misericordia eius in progenies et progenies

timentibus eum.

Fecit potentiam in brachio suo,

dispersit superbos mente cordis sui;

deposuit potentes de sede

et exaltavit humiles;

esurientes implevit bonis

et divites dimisit inanes.

Suscepit Israel puerum suum,

recordatus misericordiae,

sicut locutus est ad patres nostros,

Abraham et semini eius in saecula."

This is a beautiful version of the Magnificat sung at Notre Dame: [link]

"My soul doth magnify the Lord.

And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid;

for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

Because he that is mighty,

hath done great things to me;

and holy is his name.

And his mercy is from generation unto generations,

to them that fear him.

He hath shewed might in his arm:

he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.

He hath put down the mighty from their seat,

and hath exalted the humble.

He hath filled the hungry with good things;

and the rich he hath sent empty away.

He hath received Israel his servant,

being mindful of his mercy:

As he spoke to our fathers,

to Abraham and to his seed for ever."

Image details

Image size

1096x2524px 1.5 MB

Make

Canon

Model

MX860 series

Published: May 22, 2010