Wesley, Frank. Cleansing of the Leper
From Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN.
Scripture: Mark 1:40-42
Now a leper came to Jesus, imploring him, kneeling down to him and saying to him, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” As soon as Jesus had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.
Visio Divina
Ask for the grace to see and receive from the Holy. Sit silently and contemplate the image for a few minutes.
What word or phrase comes to mind? What emotion arises?
Who are the characters in the scene? Note the shapes, colors, the lighting.
Continue to sit quietly with this painting.
Consider the emotion Jesus is showing the suffering person. His posture, his physical touch. Who is observing the scene, how are they reacting?
Carry this image in your mind through the day.
Ask and allow the Spirit to remind you that Jesus’s joy and compassion are yours to share with others.
Wesley was born in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh into a fifth generation Christian family of Hindu and Muslim descent. He belongs to the Lucknow school of painting. His paintings reflect this influence and that of the Chughtai school of painting that flourished in India at the turn of the century. Wesley made art based on both biblical and secular themes. He used water colours, oil paintings, miniatures and wooden carvings.
“The rejected condition of the man is symbolized by his poor shelter of a few reeds and rags, a single water pot, a skeletal dog at his feet and a crow in the tree under which he sits. The tree bends, mirroring the graceful, almost dance-like position of Jesus. The dance position is one of power in Hindu art, indicating the rhythm which sustains life. India is a place where we can see the wonder and miracle of cleansing and new life brought to lepers by those who minister to their needs.” From Frank Wesley: Exploring Faith with a Brush by Naomi Wray.
Wesley’s painting “Blue Madonna” was used for the first UNICEF Christmas card, while five of his paintings were exhibited at the 1950 Holy Year Exhibition in the Vatican. He is also known for designing the funeral urn for Mahatma Gandhi’s ashes.