Rezo

Great to see you liked this one. I have always been captivated by the nature of a believer. I find at times that true believers are much more interesting than their secular counterparts. Why my interest? For too many reasons. First of all because South America is still mostly Catholic/Christian. Practices you would never see in the US are still part of Colombian culture. In Bogota, for instance, their is mountain called Monserrate; every Sunday people still go up its steep sides on their knees. And I mean really big mountains, the Andes. Second, because my PhD thesis is on the work of Professor Charles Taylor, one of the most important Catholic philosophers in modernity. ( I am sure you have heard of him). His book (Not really a book) "A Catholic Modernity?" is relevant here. Third, some important people close to me are devout Catholics and are, in some respects, truly inspiring people. Finally, it seems to me that the most important modern political question is that of the relation between faith and reason. Secularism and Belief came head on against each other on 9/11.

Now to the drawing. HAving read Saint Augustine's "Confessions" for a political philosphy course way back in 1989 I wanted to capture the sense of humility and obedience that is required of a true believer. (Just think of Abraham fo the the Jewish and Christian traditions) I guess the best way to show this is to kneel down; THE human achievement, standing upright, gives way to a need for something without which standing upright is not even possible. LIttle wonder Muslims must kneel down five times a day. The gold ink tries to recover the idea that this possibility is unique and rich. All the line are meant to represent multiple birds, from the thinner to the thicker, for only birds can rise up to the HEavens. Above this being's head one finds a halo (usually a circle if you remember). BUt his halo has the form of a bird for it aids the seer to view the movement upward without noticing it. And besides it makes the halo much more connected to the natural world. The smaller lines below try to show the need to leave the boundaries set by the "earthly". The gold creates a sort of robe of dignity. Finally no particular features of the body are kept becasue the believer really seems not to care too much for the body. You might remember Saint Augustine. There are no visible features because it is hard to think of God with particular features.

Well I do hope you enjoy reading this. Last year professor Thomas Pangle published a book on this issue which is entitled "The God of Abraham and Poltiical Philosophy". There the central question is the relation between faith and reason. Nos hablamos luego.