The Voyage of Life
A few weeks ago I was in Washington D.C. and while there decided to browse the National Gallery of Art. I was with my sister who also is a major art buff, way more than me and I do love art myself. We actually came across the National Gallery of Art by accident as we were just exploring, we knew it was in D.C. of course but weren’t sure of its proper location. In all of the three, four, five hours or so we were there there was one particular painting amidst a series of paintings that stood out to me, due its colors, atmosphere, texture, realism, and most importantly the ideal it put across. This painting was the Voyage of Life: Youth by Thomas Cole in 1842.
The vivid colors of Thomas Cole’s breathtaking scenery immediately caught my attention. But it was after studying it that I saw more of the story the artist is trying to tell, a story that all of us are involved in. The Voyage of Life portrays an enthusiastic youth ready to take on all that stands in his way, no matter how unprepared, as he travels down the river of life. A guardian angel guides him along his journey, never leaving his side, making sure the young voyager stays on the right course. The painting reveals many upcoming challenges, such as rapids and mountains that must be confronted.
I just absolutely love the ideals of this painting, that as youths we were all so eager to take on anything that stands in our way. Also, the painting shows the youth keeping his sight on heaven, knowing that it will be there at the end of his journey and giving him the strength to get through his voyage. To me, Heaven is the most epic place anyone can ever voyage to. Yes, I had to at least get the word epic in at least once, (well now twice) in my post.
I’m going to change things up a bit here; instead of having a podcast right now I’m going to instead post a song each week that I find epic. I will have podcasts eventually when I can improve the quality, which will not be that far away. This weeks song is “I Lived on the Moon” by french group Kwoon. The song is about a father telling his son a story of when he lived on the moon and the adventures that he has been through. If you enjoy this song make you sure go to youtube and search for the music video, it is amazing.
