Roy de Maistre (1894-1968)
Oil on board
95 x 67 cm
1952-1958
Methodist Modern Art Collection
DeM/1962
Image Copyright © Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes. The Methodist Church Registered Charity no. 1132208
Biblical commentary
John 20: 11, 14–18
De Maistre shows Jesus, facing us, towering over the kneeling Mary Magdalene, who has her back towards us. It is still early in the morning and the sky is red with sunrise. The warm red-brown colour of both the landscape and Mary contrasts with the cool blues, white and greys of Jesus and the rocky garden. The mouth of the tomb, in a reddish stone or brick, is visible on the left, with marks that can be read as ‘LO’. The artist, a practising Roman Catholic, was a prolific painter of religious subjects, including other versions for ‘Noli me tangere’.
Commentary based on A Guide to the Methodist Art Collection.