Peace+be+Still


 * This painting, done by award winning realist artist StephenGjertson, depicts Christ calming the storm of Mark 4. The five versions of this painting portray the authority of Christ over His creation. Psalm 107:23-32, the event related in the Gospel of Mark, tells of a similar incident where Yahweh raises up a stormy wind then calms it when men cry out to Him for deliverance.

Stephen Gjertson was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 21, 1949. He attended college and art school for four years then studied from 1971 to 1975 at Atelier Lack where he was in the first cohesive group of students. Gjertson has gained a considerable reputation for his elegant floral still lifes. Most of his current work is figurative, either intimate genre paintings of his family and friends or more complicated works with biblical themes or symbolic treatments of contemporary issues. His work is a personal, visual response to the circumstances of his life and world as viewed by a man who loves his family, admires the great art of the past and believes the profound truths of biblical Christianity. Though rare in our age of cultural iconoclasm, he wants his work to display those qualities that are present in all works of art considered valuable throughout the centuries: aesthetic beauty and skillful workmanship. With beauty and skill, his goal is to express simple, but universal themes.
 * Artist**

"The Lord of creation, by Whom and for Whom all things were made, and by Whom all things hold together controls, with infinite care, the natural elements of His creation. By His word they were created; by His word they are controlled. Within my limitations, I endeavored to authentically clothe the disciples and put them in an historically accurate vessel. John, my favorite disciple, who is often missed, lies prostrate below the Lord, grasping His garment in mute worship. The others stand, sit, or kneel in awe, marveling at the extent of their Master's authority. The Sun, piercing through the clouds, represents the Father Who, as John says, is Light (I John 1:5). The birds in the upper right represent the Holy Spirit. In John's first epistle, God is revealed to be Light, Love, and Life; and I desired to show God in that context. The Father as Light: Jesus, the Son as Love (having delivered the disciples from the fear of death by rebuking the Devil, who wields the power of death, Hebrews 2:14-15); and the Holy Spirit (again brooding over the face of the waters) as Life, for it is the Spirit Who gives life (II Corinthians 3:6). Jesus is clothed in blue with a mantle of red. Blue signifies truth and constancy, for Jesus is the Truth (John 14:6) and will never leave nor forsake the believer (Hebrews 13:5). Red, the color of love and suffering, perfectly symbolizes the Savior, Who rebukes the storm with His arms outstretched in a gesture that foreshadows His crucifixion. We see in this event a glorious glimpse of God's redemptive plan. The Eternal Father, breaking through the dark clouds of our sinful, tempest-tossed world, sends forth His Son to deliver those who cry out to Him by the power of the Holy Spirit." -- Stephen Gjertson || www.christianbook.com www.marketplaceadvisor.channeladvisor.com www.christcenteredmall.com www.christian-book-store.christiansunite.com ||
 * Composition**
 * Passage Based On:** Mark 4
 * Artist:** Stephen Gjertson
 * Print Available at:**

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