Dear friends, you and I continue our journey through the Bible gallery from creation to ascension. These are paintings by famous artists who are located today in different museums around the world, but they all tell Bible stories.

You and I have come to the canvas painted by Vasily Dmitrievich Polenov. This is a large-format painting by a Russian artist, dated 1888. It belongs to the State Russian Museum of St. Petersburg. Its size is 3.25 × 6.11 cm The plot of the picture is connected with the story of Christ and the sinner, described in the Gospel of John. Let us read what Evangelist 8: 1-11 narrates.

Vasily Dmitrievich Polenov was a bright and versatile artist with a wide range of creative interests. However, the main place in Polenov's work is occupied by this canvas, in which the author sought to tell the biblical story as a real life event.

Polenov saw his duty as an artist in the concentration of forces to create the Gospel cycle of paintings "From the Life of Christ", which he thought to himself "as a series of paintings and scenes connected with each other." He devoted almost 40 years of his life to working on paintings about the life of Christ. The first work of this cycle was the painting "Christ and the Sinner". Polenov portrayed the Gospel events delicately and unobtrusively, and this allowed even an unprepared person to understand what they were about and about.

To recreate the historically accurate setting, Polenov traveled across Egypt, Syria, Palestine, Greece, and Italy. During these trips, he created many portraits, architecture and landscape sketches.

So, we have before us a plot from the New Testament about how an angry crowd brought to Christ a woman convicted of adultery. The Pharisees, the most zealous Jews, asked Jesus what to do as a sinner — according to the Jewish laws, she was supposed to be stoned. Jesus replied: "Whoever is without sin, cast the first stone outside." Then the people were ashamed, let the frightened girl go and dispersed. Part of the famous phrase the author wanted to endure in the title of the picture: "Who is your meat without sin?" Nocensorship insisted Natom to be changed to "Christ the gamer".

The censors generally considered the work "harmful to the people." Because the painter portrayed Jesus as not the Son of God, a supreme being, as an ordinary person. You can even immediately recognize him among a group of disciples sitting in front of the temple - only the sunlight that illuminates his entire figure gives a hint.

Proceeding from considerations of historical reliability, Polenov deliberately chose the outer courtyard of the Jerusalem temple as the scene of the painting, since pagans and foreigners were not allowed into the courtyard - the so-called "courtyard of Israel" on pain of death. Therefore, the motley crowd could lead the sinner only to one of the outer courtyards adjacent to the walls of the temple.

Serenity reigns in the left half of the picture, which depicts Christ seated, surrounded by his disciples and other listeners. Obviously, he was conducting a conversation with them, which was interrupted by the noise of a group of people that appeared along with the sinner. This crowd is shown on the right side of the canvas. The painting captures the culminating moment of the event: a provocative question has just been asked about what to do with the sinner; in anticipation of Christ's response, the crowd froze, waiting for the response of Christ and his disciples. We see "the canvas is filled with images of very lively and specific people, but they are all taken in one brief instant and therefore look suddenly frozen in their reaction to what is happening."

In the composition of the picture, the image of Jesus Christ is most expressive. His white chiton is well associated with the inner essence of Christ, which sets off the pallor of a sad and weary face. The image created by Polenov creates the impression of fatigue and immersion in sad thoughts, one feels His softness, noble posture, "freedom of gesture and posture", as well as peace of mind, peace - all this distinguishes Christ from His disciples, who are more constrained in their thoughts, feelings and movements ... At the same time, the artist tried to emphasize the human essence of Christ, to make His appearance similar to the ordinary people around Him.

His disciples are sitting next to Christ. In front of the crowd in which the sinner is, the figures of the Pharisee and Adducee stand out. The most furious is the Pharisee, who, apparently, is asking the question to Christ. To his left, smiling maliciously, is a fat, red-haired Sadducee. Although their teachings are at odds with each other, in this episode they united against Christ.

According to Polenov, it follows that the boy sitting on the ledge of the stairs of the temple is Mark, one of the future evangelists. To the right of Christ is depicted John, and to the left is Jacob, behind whose back, leaning on a staff, Peter stood up. In the same row as Peter are Andrei, Filippi Jacob Alfeyev, and in the second row there are Judas, Cleopa and Matthew. A man with a half-closed face, standing ucyparisa - Pharisee Nicodemus, one of the secret followers of Christ. The man depicted on the right side of the picture riding a donkey is Simon of Cyrene, who in the future is destined to carry the cross for the crucifixion of Christ on Calvary.

The sun illuminates Jesus and the main Pharisees as the center of opposition.

The main idea of ​​the work, in the mind of the author, is to bring people good and the ability to forgive. The painter worked on the painting for about 15 years.

The situation that we see suggests that people were looking for Jesus to find fault with anything, looking for any opportunity to accuse.

What are you looking for today? Walking to Christ, today do you ask questions in order to learn something, to understand something, or to find a reason to accuse Him?

How do you feel about those who have sinned? Are you demanding justice and immediate punishment, or are you willing to forgive and give another chance? Remember Jesus Christ said - only he who himself has no sin can condemn others.

Dear friend, are you perhaps one of those who have sinned? Remember the words of Jesus - I do not condemn you - go and sin no more!

God bless you

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