Brother David
Stephen Weiss and A Network for Grateful Living (ANG*L) offer two portraits of Br. David Steindl-Rast, in limited editions of 24 each.
The Spiritual Leaders Project
I am doing a series of portraits and interviews with spiritual leaders. Their words and image are joined as you see here. Every photograph must tell a story, and in this project, the subject tells their own story. I call these “narrative” or “autobiographic” portraits. Early in an interview I ask “what passage from your spiritual literature first gave you a sense that this would be your life's path?” At the end of the interview I ask, “What passage from your spiritual literature says most about who you are now?”
In 2007 I was explaining my project to Sam Keen and he told me there was a person I should interview staying just up the hill. He said nothing about who this person was. With an introduction from Sam, I arranged a visit. When I arrived, I set up chairs under a large live oak and in a few minutes Brother David walked out and introduced himself. He was a wonderful, laughing companion in an instant. The first thing I noticed of course were his colorful striped socks and Birkenstocks. As he talked, Brother David conducted with his hands moving in arcs and his fingers in a precise posture as if holding a baton. Hands and arms moving, he swayed side-to-side and laughed. He had a way of tilting his head to the side and looking up through his eyebrows at me. After our conversation under the tree I asked him to pose in a small stone chapel. I did not recognize the power of that moment until several days later as I began to review the photographs. I was riveted by how the light sculpted him, and how he revealed something of himself. It was not until several years later that I learned about his life's work and realized who I had met. Under the portraits are Brother David's answers to the questions. When I reviewed his answer to the second question, it read like a prose poem and I tried to present it visually in that manner.
This past summer, at a conference given by Brother David and Sam Keen, I brought the two prints to arrange to donate them to ANG*L. I told Brother David that I was not sure what the title should be of each portrait. For the portrait under the tree, I can't remember which of us suggested “Joy.” For the portrait at the window, Brother David thought for a few moments and suggested “Silence.”
If you would like to hear about future work in the spiritual leaders project, please send me an email:
With gratitude, Stephen Weiss
Purchase Joy
|
Purchase Silence
|
With your purchase, you receive a rare narrative photograph of Brother David, and the satisfaction of knowing that the practice of grateful living continues to thrive around the world due to your generosity. These are Giclée prints on fine-art archival papers at 17” x 22.” The photographs are offered for an $800.00* contribution to ANG*L. Sales will raise funds in support of the free services at ANG*L. Because this art work has been donated, the proceeds minus production costs will give an essential boost to ANG*L's operating funds for the 2010-11 fiscal year.
*The full value of this signed, limited-edition print has been assessed at $800.00. The price includes shipping within the U.S. For shipping outside the U.S., please contact ANG*L. Your photo will be insured and shipped in a method suitable to fine art. Because your contribution equals the value of this item, it is not deductible for federal income tax purposes in the United States. A Network for Grateful Living operates under a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public benefit organization.
IMPORTANT: WHEN YOUR PRINT ARRIVES, OPEN AND REMOVE THE PRINT WITH GREAT CARE. IT IS CAREFULLY ROLLED. SLIDE IT OUT CAREFULLY WITHOUT BENDING AN EDGE. THE PRINT IS IN A SPECIAL BAG TO PROTECT IT. DO NOT REMOVE IT FROM THE BAG UNTIL YOU TAKE IT TO BE FRAMED. HAVE THE FRAMER REMOVE IT BECAUSE THE ADHESIVE ON THE FLAP COULD DAMAGE THE PRINT. THE SURFACE OF THE PRINT IS VERY DELICATE, EVEN WITH THE PROTECTIVE BAG. DO NOT TOUCH THE SURFACE WITH ANYTHING TO AVOID SCRATCHING OR DAMAGE.
