Unusual Artistic Depictions of the Agony in the Garden

William Blake, Alessando Magnasco, El Greco, and Eric Gill

The Lord’s agony in the garden of Gethsemane has been depicted countless times by Christian artists over the centuries. The historical narrative in the Gospels is clear enough, yet it opens up mystery upon mystery, receding into infinity — and endlessly fascinating to the artistic imagination. While every well-executed painting of a scene from the life of Christ is worth gazing at and pondering, I like to keep my eyes peeled for unusual treatments of common themes, and so today, at the start of Holy Week, I will share and briefly comment on four depictions of the agony. But first, the synoptic accounts of it (there is no mention of this event in John’s Gospel, as he tends to focus on things that the earlier three do not mention).

Matthew’s account

Then Jesus came with them into a country place which is called Gethsemani; and he said to his disciples: Sit you here, till I go yonder and pray. And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to grow sorrowful and to be sad. Then he saith to them: My soul is sorrowful even unto death: stay you here, and watch with me. And going a little further, he fell upon his face, praying, and saying: My Father, if it be possible, let this chalice pass from me. Nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh to his disciples, and findeth them asleep, and he saith to Peter: What? Could you not watch one hour with me? Watch ye, and pray that ye enter not into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh weak. Again the second time, he went and prayed, saying: My Father, if this chalice may not pass away, but I must drink it, thy will be done. And he cometh again and findeth them sleeping: for their eyes were heavy. And leaving them, he went again: and he prayed the third time, saying the selfsame word. Then he cometh to his disciples, and saith to them: Sleep ye now and take your rest; behold the hour is at hand, and the Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us go: behold he is at hand that will betray me. (Mt 26:36-46 DRA)

Mark’s account

And they came to a farm called Gethsemani. And he saith to his disciples: Sit you here, while I pray. And he taketh Peter and James and John with him; and he began to fear and to be heavy. And he saith to them: My soul is sorrowful even unto death; stay you here, and watch. And when he was gone forward a little, he fell flat on the ground; and he prayed, that if it might be, the hour might pass from him. And he saith: Abba, Father, all things are possible to thee: remove this chalice from me; but not what I will, but what thou wilt. And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping. And he saith to Peter: Simon, sleepest thou? couldst thou not watch one hour? Watch ye, and pray that you enter not into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. And going away again, he prayed, saying the same words. And when he returned, he found them again asleep, (for their eyes were heavy), and they knew not what to answer him. And he cometh the third time, and saith to them: Sleep ye now, and take your rest. It is enough: the hour is come: behold the Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise up, let us go. Behold, he that will betray me is at hand. (Mar 14:32-42 DRA)

Luke’s account

And going out, he went, according to his custom, to the mount of Olives. And his disciples also followed him. And when he was come to the place, he said to them: Pray, lest ye enter into temptation. And he was withdrawn away from them a stone’s cast; and kneeling down, he prayed, saying: Father, if thou wilt, remove this chalice from me: but yet not my will, but thine be done. And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony, he prayed the longer. And his sweat became as drops of blood, trickling down upon the ground. And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow. And he said to them: Why sleep you? arise, pray, lest you enter into temptation. (Lk 22:39-46 DRA)

There are subtle and fascinating differences in these accounts that would reward patient meditation. Here I will note that while the chalice and the sleeping apostles are mentioned in all three, the sweating of blood and the angel who came to comfort Christ are mentioned only by Luke. The artistic tradition, as if by an overwhelming instinct, nearly always depicts the angel — or even many angels, as we shall see.

William Blake

At the Tate Museum

Visionary romantic poet and artist William Blake (1757–1827) painted “The Agony in the Garden” around the year 1800. He has placed the apostles deep in the shadows of the trees, their heads covered and bowed down, almost as if receding into the ground, as if merging with the irrational nature of the plants or the unliving nature of the earth.

In maximum contrast, Christ is fully alive and awake, straining in a gesture of self-abandonment, swooning with the suffering He intensely feels and foresees. An angel with a calm face and fiery loins, surrounded by a hazy purple cloud, swoops down in muscular verticality as if to rescue the Lord the moment before He faints or falls crushed by the appalling chalice. The chalice seems to be absent from the picture — perhaps it has already disappeared. An intense mutual gaze locks the eyes of the divine Son of God with the angelic son of God.

The apostles are too sleepy to behold this communion of spirits, in which, marvel of marvels, the creature comforts the Creator, and perhaps urges Him to carry on in spite of His natural fear of death and repugnance for the sin of the world, which He must bear on His shoulders.