What's cool about this piece of art is that it places Jesus in a somewhat modern setting, even though the setting is a century or so past us. In this painting, we can get a better idea of Jesus opposing the rich and powerful Pharisees and Sadducees of his day, by seeing him seated here with the ultra-wealthy people of the period contemporary with the artist, the gilded 19th Century.
By doing this, the picture lets us more easily consider his preaching as if he were talking to us today, which he is, instead of some dusty historical reference of a long-ago time that is harder for us to relate to. Jesus's message is live and current, and he speaks to us today. Though fashions change, human nature does not change much.
Jean Béraud (1849-1935) was a French artist mostly known for paintings of Parisian nightlife, of the fashionable people of Paris society. He only has a few paintings with a religious theme that we've seen. Besides this one, he has a beautiful painting of Jesus at the pillar which we would like to offer during a future Lenten season.
** IMPORTANT ** THE IMAGE IS SMALLER THAN THE PAPER! There is a blank border around the image. Approximately 0.5" wide for 5x7, 1.3" for 8.5x11, 1.6" for 11x14, and 1.75" for 13x17 and 16x20. For the two poster sizes, 18x24 and 24x36, we use 0.5" borders. We do this because the ratio of the rectangle of the art almost never matches the rectangle of the paper, and if it did happen to match one size, it would not match the others. Most fine art printers do this because otherwise they’d have to crop the art or warp it to make it fit the paper. The border looks good. It gives the picture a faux matted appearance.
There is almost always a little more border either on the left-right sides, or the top-bottom, depending on whether the ratio of the art is wider or taller than the paper.
We make Archival Quality fine art prints:
– Acid-free paper
– Archival pigments
– Cardboard backer for sizes 11x14 and less.
– Above story of the art
– Enclosed in a tight-fitting, crystal-clear bag.
– Rated to last 200 years without fading if kept dry and out of the direct sun.
Thanks for your interest!
JMJ
Sue & John
Lincoln, Nebraska
You might also enjoy original Catholic Art and Jewelry by me, Sue Kouma Johnson, here on Etsy at www.Etsy.com/shop/TreeOfHeaven
Also, check out our Catholic Quote shop, where we are pairing authentic quotes from Saints with Art: www.Etsy.com/shop/CatholicQuote
“In order to communicate the message entrusted to her by Christ, the Church needs art.”
~ St. Pope John Paul II
Original image is out-of-copyright. Descriptive text and any image alterations (hence the whole new image) © by Sue Kouma Johnson – Classic Catholic Art.
