LOOK: Ballet Skirt or Electric Light by Georgia O’Keeffe
The Art Institute of Chicago, which owns this painting, offers the following description:
In the 1920s Georgia O’Keeffe began creating the paintings of enlarged flowers for which she is most famous, including a series of works devoted to the white rose; this painting is her most abstracted depiction of the subject. O’Keeffe simplified the energy of the blooming rose to its essence, so that it resembles a brilliant light radiating out of flat Cubist planes. She exhibited this painting as White Rose—Abstraction at Alfred Stieglitz’s Intimate Gallery in 1928 and retitled it Ballet Skirt or Electric Light (from the White Rose Motif) when she lent it to the Art Institute of Chicago’s 1943 retrospective of her work.
I was introduced to this painting in Imaging the Word: An Arts and Lectionary Resource, volume 3, where it appears in the Easter section. So credit goes to that book’s editors (Susan A. Blain, et al.) for linking the image with Christ’s resurrection. Now I can’t see it any other way! Bright and explosive, the painting has as its focal point an orb of light near the bottom edge, which could be read as the figure of Christ standing in the open mouth of the tomb.
By the way, all three Imaging the Word volumes, which I chanced upon at Ollie’s Bargain Outlet some years ago, are excellent. Structured around the Revised Common Lectionary, years A through C, the books integrate scripture, visual art, poetry, sheet music, liturgies, fiction excerpts, quotes from Bible commentaries and spiritual nonfiction, and more. They are published by United Church Press.
LISTEN: “Aurora lucis rutilat” (Light’s Glittering Morn Bedecks the Sky) | Words attributed to Ambrose, 4th century; translated into English by John Mason Neale, 1851 | Music by Orlande de Lassus, ca. 1592, published posthumously in 1604 | Performed by the Choir of Clare College, Cambridge, dir. Graham Ross, 2015
1. Aurora lucis rutilat, caelum laudibus intonat, mundus exultans iubilat, gemens infernus ululat, 2. Cum rex ille fortissimus, mortis confractis viribus, pede conculcans tartara solvit catena miseros! 3. Ille, qui clausus lapide custoditur sub milite, triumphans pompa nobile victor surgit de funere. 4. Solutis iam gemitibus et inferni doloribus, “Quia surrexit Dominus!” resplendens clamat angelus. 5. Tristes erant apostoli de nece sui Domini, quem poena mortis crudeli servi damnarant impii. 6. Sermone blando angelus praedixit mulieribus, “In Galilaea Dominus videndus est quantocius” 7. Illae dum pergunt concite apostolis hoc dicere, videntes eum vivere osculant pedes Domini. 8. Quo agnito discipuli in Galilaeam propere pergunt videre faciem desideratam Domini. 9. Claro paschali gaudio sol mundo nitet radio, cum Christum iam apostoli visu cernunt corporeo. 10. Ostensa sibi vulnera in Christi carne fulgida, resurrexisse Dominum voce fatentur publica. 11. Rex Christe clementissime, tu corda nostra posside, ut tibi laudes debitas reddamus omni tempore! 12. Deo patri sit gloria eiusque soli filio cum spiritu paraclito et nunc et in perpetuum.
Light’s glitt’ring morn bedecks the sky, heav’n thunders forth its victor cry, the glad earth shouts its triumph high, and groaning hell makes wild reply. While he, the King of glorious might, treads down death’s strength in death’s despite, and trampling hell by victor’s right, brings forth his sleeping saints to light. Fast barred beneath the stone of late in watch and ward where soldiers wait, now shining in triumphant state, he rises Victor from death’s gate. Hell’s pains are loosed and tears are fled; captivity is captive led; the angel, crowned with light, hath said, “The Lord is risen from the dead.” The apostles’ hearts were full of pain for their dear Lord so lately slain: that Lord his servants’ wicked train with bitter scorn had dared arraign. With gentle voice the angel gave the women tidings at the grave; “Forthwith your Master shall ye see: he goes before to Galilee.” And while with fear and joy they pressed to tell these tidings to the rest, their Lord, their living Lord, they meet, and see his form, and kiss his feet. The Eleven, when they hear, with speed to Galilee forthwith proceed: that there they may behold once more the Lord’s dear face, as oft before. In this our bright and Paschal day, the sun shines out with purer ray, when Christ, to earthly sight made plain, the glad apostles see again. The wounds, the riven wounds he shows in that his flesh with light that glows, in loud accord both far and nigh the Lord’s arising testify. O Christ, the King who lov’st to bless, do thou our hearts and souls possess: to thee our praise, that we may pay to whom our laud is due for aye.
Orlande de Lassus’s setting of “Aurora lucis rutilat” is a motet for ten voices. Graham Ross describes the piece in the BBC Music Magazine article “The best choral music for Easter”:
A setting of an anonymous 4th century text – the Hymn for Lauds on Easter Sunday – Lassus’s motet begins by tenderly depicting the dawn of Easter morning, but soon leads to a double-choir celebration of the triumph of the resurrection, full of word-painting, jubilation and a brief triple-time passage proclaiming the joy of Easter day (‘in hoc pascali gaudio’). Written late in Lassus’s life, the work is a unique example in the Franco-Flemish composer’s output of Venetian polychoral technique, with harmonic completeness in each choir.
The hymn exists in several different English translations and variations and has been set to music by multiple composers or paired with preexisting hymn tunes. For example, I’ve heard it sung to LASST UNS ERFREUEN, a tune from seventeenth-century Germany that today is most associated with the hymn “All Creatures of Our God and King.” In this case, “alleluias” and other short acclamations are added to the verses.
If you want to use this hymn for congregational singing, I would recommend the following version (with LASST UNS ERFREUEN), which I cobbled together from a few different sources (including the Jubilate Hymns version and the Liturgy Fellowship Facebook group) but which draws heavily on Neale’s translation:
Light’s glittering morning fills the sky,
heav’n thunders forth its victor cry:
Christ is risen! Alleluia!
The glad earth shouts its triumph high
and groaning hell makes wild reply.
Christ is risen! O praise him!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!For Christ the Lord, the mighty King,
despoils death and draws its sting.
Christ is risen! Alleluia!
He tramples down the pow’rs of night,
brings forth his ransomed saints to light.
Christ is risen! O praise him!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!His rocky tomb the threefold guard
of watch and stone and seal had barred.
Alleluia, alleluia!
But shining now in glorious state,
he rises Victor from death’s gate.
Christ is risen! O praise him!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!Hell’s pains are loosed and tears are fled;
captivity is captive led.
Alleluia, alleluia!
“Weep not!” an angel voice has said.
“The Lord is risen from the dead!”
O praise him, O praise him!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!All praise be thine, O risen Lord,
from death to endless life restored;
Christ is risen! Alleluia!
To Father, Son, and Spirit be
all pow’r and praise eternally!
Christ is risen! O praise him!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Art & Theology 
Thanks for pointing out the Resurrection in this painting, which makes it into a terrific painting by using that title.I never was a fan of O’Keeffe’s work.Shows you how important a proper title is.
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To be clear, I’m not suggesting that O’Keeffe had the Resurrection in mind when she painted this. But artworks, especially abstract ones, can evoke different associations, and artists usually invite that–which is why many don’t like to title their works at all! Interesting how even O’Keeffe wasn’t sure if she wanted the white brushstrokes to represent petals or tulle or a burst of light.
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