Andrew Wyeth (1917 – 2009) was an American artist of Contemporary Realism. You may know his most famous painting, Christina’s World, a scene of his physically challenged neighbor seemingly struggling to reach a nearby house. It has been both a controversial piece and a powerful metaphor for many since 1948.

Monday Morning holds Wyeth’s repeated notice of everyday details and the delicate, natural colors he captured in watercolor. Even the basket weave is lifted up for us here through pastel light and mottled shadow. This almost unnervingly simple painting seems to call for the quiet eyes and the disciplined breath of meditation. It calls us to the question of what we might be missing on our Monday mornings. These calls and the symbols of a nearly empty basket and a blackened window might be generative for us in this week. Where do we see God’s beautiful assurance leaning quietly against the familiar and easily overlooked on this day?  Where is the representation of space and darkness each of us might notice and fill with prayers of struggle and truth? May we see with intention in these Lenten days.  Amen.

In faith and hope,

Sandy Prouty

Minister of Children and Families

Montview Church