Here is information on "visio divina" - informed seeing - to accompany the post I just uploaded regarding Lotti's "Crucifixus."
I highly recommend this procedure as a way of SEEING the unseen reality represented by the artwork I referenced in the "Crucifixus" post a few minutes ago.
I will add that the core concepts of 'lectio divina' are not proprietary - no one group owns or enforces them. I have used similar techniques of Seeing in ///very/// different contexts and found them extremely helpful and enlightening.
Your personal belief system and referents may be different than those mentioned in the article I've linked here. Take what works for you.
This is a very long article, but I believe it is important that EVERY ONE OF US understand the material therein.
Please also remember that Lotti's composition comes from a time when human life was shorter, nastier, and more brutish than most of us today can conceive. The reality of torture, unjust condemnation, horrific physical punishments and execution methods was but a rulership or territorial / religious squabble away.
Paintings - Personally, I favor crucifixions painted by Spanish artists - but there are literally millions of paintings and sculptures to choose from. I suggest that you locate an image, enlarge it as much as possible (use the computer for this, not the cell phone, for best effect) - and then examine it closely and let its power permeate your understanding - WITH THE CHORAL RECORDING PLAYING AS YOU LOOK AT THE ARTWORK.
Of all the crucifixion paintings I have viewed, two stand out in my mind, both by the same artist. Of course, my context for viewing the paintings is heavily informed by the faith tradition I most recently identified with and practiced. Your mileage may vary.
