WHEN THE WORK OF THE CROSS IS DONE with Guest, Fr. Joseph Tham L.C Hong Kong and Rome
Smitten By Faith Issue # 000023 January 8th 2022
I am very honoured to welcome our special Guest this week. He is Fr. JOSEPH THAM L.C, a rare combination of former medical physician, Roman Catholic priest, scientist, teacher and when he is able to steal some time from his very busy duties, also a sensitive and accomplished artist in Chinese watercolor brush painting, calligraphy and seals.
Fr. Joseph Tham was born in Hong Kong and now lives in Rome where he teaches Bioethics at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum. He has held many exhibitions of his artworks in Italy, Hong Kong, Canada, USA and Mexico. On January 21st and 22nd 2022 in Hong Kong, Fr. Tham will be launching a major collection of his artworks featured in his book, ‘ART FOR GOD’ which will also be launched then. The Exhibition at the Fringe Club in Hong Kong will include a Talk and Forum Discussion. On the 26th January, Fr. Joseph Tham has been invited to speak at the HK MOA Bookshop at their Meet the Author Event.
The book ‘Art For God’ ( www.jfpublishing.com ) is an amazing collection of around 130 of Fr. Joseph Tham’s Chinese brush paintings, calligraphy and seals, each piece accompanied by his insightful thoughts on Chinese philosophy and spiritual reflections – a man of God; a man of faith - who ably communicates with his Creator through his skills as an artist as he brings Chinese art and culture closer to the Kingdom of God.
Above : A sampling of Fr. Joseph Tham’s artworks
Fr. Joseph Tham has kindly provided – just for ‘SMITTEN BY FAITH’ readers - one of his calligraphies ( not at the Exhibition ) which he will reflect and share with us below. We are most fortunate!
So, first, a word about Chinese calligraphy. Ever since Chinese Calligraphy’s first appearance in inscribed oracle bones and tortoise shells as far back as the Shang Dynasty in 1600 – 1046 BCE, today thousands of years later, with the invention of paper and ink, calligraphy is firmly ensconced in Chinese culture as the supreme visual art form. But, the firm brush strokes of Chinese Calligraphy are more than beautiful handwriting; the text and the Chinese script harmonize as one – inseparable. In other words, in viewing Calligraphy, it is important not to just see what the artist wrote but how he wrote it! Calligraphy artworks represent not just the self-expression of the artist but a way to spiritually communicate. As Fr. Joseph Tham ably does!
Calligraphy : ‘WHEN THE WORK OF THE CROSS IS DONE’ by Fr. Joseph Tham
Bronze-ware script; Dimensions : 100 cm X 80 cm
In the Calligraphy above, we see Fr. Joseph Tham’s firm energetic brush strokes in his usual expressive and free-form style as he writes about the Cross of Christ. Unlike paintings, artists don't usually give titles to their Calligraphies. One can deduce the so-called title from reading the poem or the saying inscribed within the calligraphy which the artist chooses interpret in his artwork. In this stunning Calligraphy, by reading the text ( see the English translation below ) of the poignant and moving poem Father Tham has chosen to inscribe within his artwork, I have taken the liberty to ‘entitle’ the Calligraphy, ‘When the Work of the Cross Is Done’.
Chinese Calligraphy has different font styles. In Father Tham’s Calligraphy here, he is using a distinct ‘bronzeware script’ which can be found in ancient bronze vessels and musical instruments on which ceremonial or official commemorative writings are inscribed. Some of the characters in this script are very pictorial. For example, Can you spot the Cross? How about all the animals and numbers in the Calligraphy? You may be able to easily find the chicken or rooster and how about the scorpion? By the way, if you are well-versed in ancient Chinese script, you may also be able to spot two tigers and a horse hidden in the Calligraphy! Look closely and probably you can also identify the numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4 which are symbolized by lines. Quite a riddle.
Riddles aside, Let’s hear more from Fr. Joseph Tham himself as he reflects and writes about the profound significance of the text of his Calligraphy and takes us on a spiritual journey.
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A REFLECTION BY FR. JOSEPH THAM L.C - WHEN THE WORK OF THE CROSS IS DONE
Hong Kong 8th January 2022
Another version of the same Calligraphy, this one created by Fr. Tham in a fan shape :
‘WHEN THE WORK OF THE CROSS IS DONE’ by Fr. Joseph Tham
Oracle bone script of the same poem.
I have translated into English for the readers, the Chinese text of poems which I have inscribed in my two calligraphies above. The poem is haunting; it reminds us of the unbelievable sufferings of Jesus Christ on the Cross:
“When the work of the cross is done, the blood formed a creek,
Grace from the west flowed a hundred yards deep,
On the midnight road he was subjected to four trials,
Before the rooster crowed twice,
Three times betrayed by a disciple.
Five thousand lashes tore every inch of skin,
Two thieves hung on either side, six feet high,
Sadness greater than any had ever known,
Seven words, one completed task, ten thousand spirits weep.”
The poem above is attributed to Emperor Kangxi (1654-1722), Qing Dynasty, considered one of China’s greatest emperors whose long reign brought in stability and wealth. The Emperor Kangxi was said to be positively influenced by the brilliance and eloquence of the Jesuit missionaries who had come to China and much has been written about the role of the Jesuits played in the imperial court then. However, in the so-called ‘Chinese Rites Controversy’, the Jesuits who took the position of tolerance towards ancient Chinese Confucian rites practised all over China, were overruled by the Pope in Rome and the hard line taken by the Church meant that in spite of Emperor Kangxi’s initial support of the Jesuits, Christianity failed to take a firm foothold in China.
Even though we may not be sure if the Emperor Kangxi was indeed the author of this poem, we can still be amazed by the extremely skilful and masterly use of the Chinese language. In just these 56 words, the author managed to incorporate the numbers, one to ten, one hundred, one thousand and ten thousand in the poem. The words of measurement : inches, feet and yards are also weaved into it.
The word ‘cross’ in Chinese employs the word ‘ten’, which happens to look like a cross even today. By this ingenious use of number and measurements in this poem, the author manages to describe very graphically the scene of the passion and crucifixion.
The use of art and poetry to express deep theological or spiritual realities is the ways of the mystics since at times, these deep truths are so difficult to grasp and penetrate. The Greeks understood this, as beauty, truth and goodness converge as transcendentals. Art, which also portrays invisible beauty with a visible medium, can therefore reveal some spiritual truths that escape notice.
I hope that these poetic and artistic forms can help you penetrate a bit more into the deep mystery of Jesus’ incarnation, passion, death and resurrection.
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