Blind Bartimaeus

Through the eyes of five painters

Julia Stankova (Bulgarian, 1954–), Christ and Bartimaeus, 2017. (Fair Use).

1. Julia Stankova’s Bart

At first we hardly notice him-
that famous blind beggar
from St. Mark’s.

But then there he is!
— half-naked
and squatting in the top left corner of the frame

yet strangely positioned — as if waiting to be troubled
by both the crowd and Jesus
as if the painter was there —

just before the story began
just before his howl — shatters
the picture we see here.

But more strange than this are the eyes —
the black dilated pupils of the crowd
framed dead center

over which he and Jesus
— from opposite ends of the painting —
are about to see each other — for the first time

2. Blake’s Bart

William Blake — Christ Giving Sight to Bartimaeus (Wikipedia Commons)

Blake’s Bart is almost naked too
with a thin white cloth
just covering his loins

But it is more mystical:
nothing Jericho-like
or biblical

with tall green mountains
and lush trees
evoking Polynesia
rather than Palestine

And Jesus — clad in white
reaching out a perfect horizontal arm to Bart —
with no attempt to touch
as if preparing for some magic
to pass between them.

3. Rihard Jakopič’s Bart

Rihard Jakopič, Blind Man (Wikipedia Commons)

Rihard Jokipic’s Bart
is blind all over —

Manacled in hands…and
blinded with an eye
— as Marvell would say

His body writhing out of his tunic
as the healer approaches-

wanting more than eyesight —
wanting his whole body
to see again.

4. Eric Gill’s Bart

Close-up of Eric Gill relief, Moorfields Eye Hospital The words here,’Domine, ut videam’ (Lord, that I may see!), (Wikipedia Commons)

Eric Gill’s Jesus presses his thumbs down hard
into Bart’s sockets
determined to push out the blindness —
along with the blood and tears running down his cheeks

Like clay on the wheel
Bart buckles — and bends his head back
under the fierce will
of the Healer

Go — he says
Your faith has made you well

5. Walt Whitman’s Civil War Bart

Ian Maclaren interpretation of poet Walt Whitman, 1922 (Wikipedia Commons)

Yawping like a mad Whitman from the roof-tops of Jericho
the voice cries out for a powerful touch
to break the orthodoxy
of his merited deformity —

Blind loving wrestling touch,
sheath’d hooded sharp-tooth’d touch!
— he howls

And Christ’s voice brakes through softly —
and in the terrible stillness, asks

What do you want me to do for you?

But Bart’s eyes are still closed:
his face is pale, he dares not look on [his]bloody stump,
And has not yet look’d on it.

What do you want me to do for you?
— repeats the Christ

I want — said Bart — to see.