Links for the Easter Season

Anthony van Dyck, The Resurrection
Flemish, c. 1631-1632
Hartford (CT), Wadsworth Athenaeum

Alleluia! 

Alleluia!

Alleluia!

The days of Lent and the days of sadness that are the Triduum are past and Easter 2025 has arrived!

Alleluia! 

Alleluia!

Alleluia!

I wish you a happy and profoundly inspiring Easter Season.

Alleluia! 

Alleluia!

Alleluia!

To guide some of your explorations of the themes of this joyful season I recommend to you the links below.  They lead to some of the commentary that I have written over the years regarding the iconography of the Easter Season, which extends from this happy day till Pentecost and Trinity Sunday.

Please feel free to explore the art created to imagine the Resurrection and the days immediately following, all the way through to the feast of the Holy Trinity.  I hope that considering these events and the pictures that artists have created to illustrate them over the centuries will help you to feel more connected to the long tradition of Christian art offered to the glory of God and to the living Church of our own time.

Links have constantly been improved over the years.  New images, better quality images and new material are constantly being incorporated.  If the original publication date suggests the material is now old, it isn't.  I am constantly revising and housekeeping.

Please note that over the course of the Easter Season I will be overhauling every one of the essays listed below to swap out old images with few pixels for newer ones with a greater number of pixels, giving you more visible details when you enlarge the images.  I will also be adding new images that turn up in the course of my hunt for improved ones (and this happens all the time).  Much more material turns up every year!  So, check back often to see what's new.

The Resurrection, the Incredulity of Thomas, Emmaus

Title		Link
The Women at the Tomb		http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/04/iconography-of-resurrection-women-at.html
Noli Me Tangere		http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/04/iconography-of-resurrection-noli-me.html
Jesus, the Gardener		http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2017/04/iconography-of-resurrection-she-thought.html
The Incredulity of St. Thomas (Doubting Thomas)		http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/05/iconography-of-resurrection-incredulity.html
Emmaus -- The Journey		http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/05/iconography-of-resurrection-emmaus.html
Emmaus -- The Recognition		http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/05/iconography-of-resurrection-emmaus_07.html
Climbing from the Tomb		http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/05/iconography-of-resurrection-climbing.html
Hovering over the Tomb		http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/05/iconography-of-resurrection-hovering.html
Bursting from the Tomb		http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/05/iconography-of-resurrection-bursting.html
An Awkward Resurrection Image Apparitions		http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2014/04/a-happy-and-blessed-easter-season-to.html
Good Shepherd Sunday		http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/05/good-shepherd-sunday-fourth-sunday-of.html
The Lake of Galilee -- The Disciples Go Fishing		http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/05/iconography-of-resurrection-lake-of.html
Commission to Peter -- The Good Shepherd Transfers Responsibility		http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/05/iconography-of-resurrection-peters.html
The Commission to the Apostles		http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/05/iconography-of-resurrection-commission.html
Christ Appears to His Mother Christ Presents the Redeemed to His Mother		http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/06/iconography-of-resurrection-christ.html http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2017/05/iconography-of-resurrection-christ.html
The Ascension
Striding into the Sky		https://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/06/iconography-of-ascension-part-i-of-iv.html
Lifted in a Mondorla or on a Cloud		http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2017/05/iconography-of-ascension-part-ii-of-iv.html
The Disappearing Feet		http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2017/05/iconography-of-ascension-part-iii-of-iv.html
The Direct Approach		http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2017/05/iconography-of-ascension-part-iv-of-iv.html
Pentecost Tongues of Fire		https://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2016/05/tongues-of-fire.html
At This Sound, They Gathered In a Crowd A Dove Descending   The Holy  Trinity Worthy Is The Lamb Father, Son, Spirit Iconography of the Holy Trinity – Imagining The Unimaginable The Holy Trinity -- Love Made Visible The Holy Trinity -- The Throne of Grace		http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2016/05/at-this-sound-they-gathered-in-crowd.html https://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2020/05/a-dove-descending.html http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2016/04/worthy-is-lamb.html http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2008/05/father-son-spirit.html http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2012/06/iconography-of-holy-trinity-imagining.html https://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2019/06/god-so-loved-world-that-he-gave-his.html https://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-holy-trinity-throne-of-grace.html

© M. Duffy, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026

The Day of Gloom and the Coming of the Light

Paolo Veronese, The Dead Christ Supported By Angels
Italian, c. 1587-1589
Berlin, Gemäldegalerie der Staatliche Museen zu Berlin

On a typical Holy Saturday the church is quiet, the tabernacle empty, the altar stripped. People come for services such as Tenebrae, made up of readings, songs and symbolic acts such as the snuffing out of candles or for Confession to ask God for forgiveness.



 Basically, the prevailing mood is quiet, a little gloomy even, but with a hint of excitement nonetheless.


Underneath it all is a sense of expectation.  And, in the evening, as darkness descends, we gather (or perhaps watch on the net or on TV) to celebrate the Easter Vigil, the Great Vigil, in which the darkness of the tomb is turned to the light of Resurrection.

As the massive newly carved and lit Paschal Candle is carried down the aisle of the darkened church we will be confronted with a symbolic image that has come down to us from remote centuries, for the light represents the Risen Christ.  As we light our individual candles from the One Candle the church gradually fills with light.  What was obscure and gloomy just moments ago can be seen clearly.  It is a magnificent symbol of the Resurrection, of the share we each have in it and of the effect that spreading that light can have on the world.  

Deacon Singing the Exultet 
From  an Exultet Roll
Italian (Montecassino), c. 1072
In this scene he gestures toward the Paschal Candle, which is being incensed

For more information on the images that relate to both the day of waiting and of the Paschal Candle, please click on the following:

The Harrowing of Hell here

The Dead Christ in the Tomb here

Easter Vigil and the Paschal Candle here

©  M. Duffy, 2015, updated 2020 and 2021 and 2022

Meditating on the Passion

Fra Angelico and Assistants, The Mocking of Christ

Italian, c. 1440-1441

Florence, Convent of San Marco, Cell #7

Over the life of this blog I have written extensively about the iconography that surrounds the subject of the Passion of Christ.  

Here is a series of links to many of those articles.  They are organized around themes suggested by meditations, both theological and artistic, and by such devotions as the Rosary and the Stations of the Cross.  

As we experience the final week of Lent, I offer them for your perusal.

I updated many of these listings over the last few years.  Sometimes this has resulted in the addition of new material.  In most cases I have replaced the picture files with newly available photos in higher definition than was available when the essays were originally written.

There is a great deal of material here that you can use to explore the themes presented.  May you have a fruitful experience while using them.

2012 Series:  Meditations on the Passion
Meditation on the Passion	April 1, 2012	http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2012/04/meditation-on-passion.html
The Mocking of Christ by Fra Angelico	April 4, 2012	http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2012/04/meditation-on-passion-mocking-of-christ.html
The Ecce Homo	April 5, 2012	http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2012/04/meditation-on-passion-ecce-homo.html
The Man of Sorrows	April 6, 2012	http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2012/04/meditation-on-passion-man-of-sorrows.html
In the Tomb   2018 Additions: The Instruments of the Passion   The Man of Sorrows with Instruments of the Passion	April 7, 2012 March 28, 2018 March 29, 2018	http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2012/04/meditation-on-passion-waiting.html http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2018/03/meditation-on-passion-instruments-of.html http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-man-of-sorrows-with-instruments-of.html
2013 Series:  The Sorrowful Mysteries
The Sorrowful Mysteries	March 26, 2013	http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-sorrowful-mysteries.html
The Agony in the Garden	March 27, 2013	http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-first-sorrowful-mystery-agony-in.html
The Scourging at The Pillar	March 29, 2013	http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-second-sorrowful-mystery-scourging.html
The Crowning with Thorns	March 29, 2013	http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-third-sorrowful-mystery-crowning.html
The Carrying of the Cross	March 29, 2013	http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-fourth-sorrowful-mystery-carrying.html
The Crucifixion	March 30, 2013	http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-fifth-sorrowful-mystery-crucifixion.html
2016 Series:  The Stations of the Cross
The Stations of the Cross – Introduction	March 9, 2016	http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2016/03/the-stations-of-cross-introduction.html
Jesus Is Condemned to Death	March 10, 2016	http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2016/03/stations-of-cross-first-station-jesus.html
Jesus Carries the Cross	March 14, 2016	http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2016/03/stations-of-cross-second-station-jesus.html
Jesus Falls, The Third, Seventh and Ninth Stations	March 15, 2016	http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2016/03/stations-of-cross-jesus-falls-third.html
Jesus Meets His Mother	March 16, 2016	http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2016/03/stations-of-cross-fourth-station-jesus.html
Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus to Carry the Cross	March 16, 2016	http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2016/03/stations-of-cross-fifth-station-simon.html
Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus	March 17, 2016	http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2016/03/stations-of-cross-sixth-station.html
Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem	March 20, 2016	http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2016/03/stations-of-cross-eighth-station-jesus.html
Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments	March 21, 2016	http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2016/03/stations-of-cross-tenth-station-jesus.html
Jesus Is Nailed to the Cross	March 22, 2016	http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2016/03/stations-of-cross-eleventh-station.html
Jesus Dies On the Cross	March 23, 2016	http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2016/03/stations-of-cross-twelfth-station-jesus.html
The Body of Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross	March 24, 2016	http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2016/03/stations-of-cross-thirteenth-station.html
The Body of Jesus Is Laid in the Tomb	March 26, 2016	http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2016/03/stations-of-cross-fourteenth-station.html

2019 with 2020 update

O Sacred Head Surrounded                          April 19, 2019            https://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2019/04/o-sacred-head.html

© M. Duffy, 2017, update 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2026.

Links for Holy Week

Giotto, Jesus Washes the Feet of Peter
Italian, c. 1304-1306
Padua, Scrovegni/Arena Chapel (detail)

I won't be blogging anything new during the next few weeks, which include Holy Week (March 29-April 1) and the Paschal Triduum (April 2, 3, and 4). Instead I am providing links to the numerous essays I have written in recent years about the art associated with these days.  I will be updating some of these essays with new or refreshed images, so some of them may be unavailable from time to time.  

 

Please use the links below to access them.

Also watch the Featured Posts section on the right for direct links to various associated articles.  You may particularly wish to click on the links to the images associated with the Stations of the Cross and the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary, both popular devotional prayers recalling the events of Holy Week.

Day	Title	Date Published	Link
Palm Sunday	Holy Week with Giotto, Palm Sunday	April 17, 2011	http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/04/holy-week-with-giotto-palm-sunday.html
	Entering Jerusalem, the Hinge to the Passion	April 9, 2017	http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2017/04/entering-jerusalem-hinge-to-passion.html
Monday and Tuesday	Holy Week with Giotto – Jesus and Judas	April 19, 2011	http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/04/holy-week-with-giotto-jesus-and-judas.html
Wednesday	Holy Week with Giotto – Judas’ Betrayal I	April 20, 2011	http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/04/holy-week-with-giotto-judas-betrayal-i.html
	Spy Wednesday -- Thirty Pieces of Silver	April 1, 2015	http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2015/04/spy-wednesday-thirty-pieces-of-silver.html
Thursday	Holy Week with Giotto – Holy Thursday, Washing Feet	April 21, 2011	http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/04/holy-week-with-giotto-holy-thursday.html
	Holy Thursday	April 5, 2012	http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2012/04/holy-thursday.html
	Holy Week with Giotto – Judas’ Betrayal II, the Kiss	April 20, 2011	http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/04/holy-week-with-giotto-judas-betrayal-ii.html
Friday	Holy Week with Giotto – Good Friday, Overnight,  Christ Before Caiaphas	April 21, 2011	http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/04/holy-week-with-giotto-good-friday.html
	Holy Week with Giotto –  Good Friday, Early Morning, Mocking of Christ	April 21, 2011	http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/04/holy-week-with-giotto-good-friday-early.html
	Holy Week with Giotto – Good Friday, Mid-Morning, Via Crucis	April 22, 2011	http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/04/holy-week-with-giotto-good-friday-mid.html
	Holy Week with Giotto – Good Friday, Early Afternoon, the Crucifixion	April 22, 2011	http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/04/holy-week-with-giotto-good-friday-early_22.html
	Holy Week with Giotto – Good Friday, Late Afternoon, the Lamentation	April 22, 2011	http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/04/holy-week-with-giotto-good-friday-late.html
Saturday	Holy Saturday	April 23, 2011	http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/04/holy-saturday.html
	O, Key of David! Come, break down the walls of death!	December 20, 2011	http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/12/o-key-of-david.html
	Exult! – The Easter Proclamation	March 30, 2013	http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2013/03/exult-easter-proclamation.html
	The Day of Gloom and the Coming of the Light Something Strange Is            Happening Today © M. Duffy, 2026	April 4, 2015 April 8, 2023	http://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-day-of-gloom-and-coming-of-light.html https://imaginemdei.blogspot.com/2011/12/o-key-of-david.html