Talent

I am and have always been impressed by the talent of others especially when it is good. Some have big talent and others not as big. But regardless of the amount or intensity of talent one possesses it is great when talent is shared with others. Below are a few examples of great talent.

The first man of talent I would like to discuss is an Italian painter named Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. Introduced to me by a genuine artist, I find Caravaggio to be sharp in his contrasts and beautiful with his detail. My favorite of his paintings that I have seen is titled Incredulity of Thomas (shown below). Please take a moment and view the painting before continuing to read and form your idea of what you see before reading what I perceive.


My opinion of the painting varies from the experts that I have read and listened to discuss this painting. I see a Thomas who was in disbelief but now is astounded to see and feel the body of his friend and teacher Jesus. I see a Jesus who, in some degree might be feeling pain, guiding the hand of Thomas into his side. This is a very different perspective of the resurrected Christ than I have seen before. He, who has overcome death, is humbly bowing and gently teaching his friend of the cause for his life and mission on earth. I see a Christ who is humble and wanting people to know that he is not was. Christ’s face doesn’t seem sad or to be in pain or grief but is somber because of what Thomas is experiencing. I see Christ pulling his garment away from his wound and inviting Thomas to know that he is in fact real. I appreciate the contrast of light within the painting as well as the detail that Caravaggio uses to portray an event the world still finds to be incredible. http://www.caravaggio.rai.it/index_en.htm.

My next portrayal of talent is a photographer named Matt Clayton. He shot some photos of my friend’s twin boys and has posted some of them on his blog (http://mattclaytonphotography.blogspot.com/2009/01/double-trouble.html). The boys are endearing, there is no doubt about it, but Matt has done his part successfully by endeavoring to capture moments. Yes, the boys were probably told to sit here and do this or that but the beauty is found in the moment that the photo reveals. Life is full of moments that we wish we could capture and keep and the photos that I find most appealing are those which capture them.

The last talent I would like to mention is a French band that I saw perform at that the Kennedy Center named L & O. They were unique and lively with great sound and variety. The following link will take you to the video of the performance that I saw (you will need RealPlayer to be able to watch it). I would recommend watching the entire video but if you haven’t the time or interest skip to minute 51.30 to watch their last song. It was great. http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/kc_video_dyn.cfm?encoded=http%3A%2F%2Fplay%2Erbn%2Ecom%2F%3Furl%3Dkennedy%2Fkennedyg2%2Fg2demand%2F01132009%5F1800%5FMSN%2Erm%26amp%3Bproto%3Drtsp&header_image=header_mil_video.gif.

Now, I know that the three examples of talent that I have mentioned do not capture the infinite spectrum of where talents lie, but they were just recent examples of some great talent that I have come across. I would say that talent can be any acknowledged individual ability that is showcased in some fashion for the benefit, beauty and life of others. Everybody has talent and the key is to recognize it and then to use it for The Good of all. Talent becomes great in its practice and distribution.