James Jacques Joseph Tissot

Tissot was born in 1836 in a seaport on the French coast.  Although his father was a devout Roman Catholic and Tissot himself attended a Jesuit boarding school, he was not very religious.  He continued painting, training in Paris and exhibiting his paintings at the Royal Academy.  Following the Franco-Prussian War, Tissot fled to London.  There he experienced much success, particularly with Vanity Fair.  In the mid 1870s, Tissot married a colorful woman, Kathleen Newton.  She committed suicide in 1882, which devastated Tissot.  He became increasingly spiritual, trying to speak to the deceased Kathleen.  On a number of occasions, Tissot visited the Middle East to study the landscape for his religious paintings.  Tissot died on August 8, 1902.

The Journey of the Magi

In Matthew 2:1-12, the magi travel to Herod when they realize that there is a new King.  After alerting Herod to the new King, the magi travel to Jesus by following a star in the sky.  When they have paid Him homage, the magi travel back a different way than they came in order to avoid Herod.  Since three of the twelve verses in this passage describe the magi traveling, it is hard to know exactly where the magi are headed in Tissot’s painting “The Journey of the Magi.”  Because, however, the star can be seen at the top of the painting, it can be assumed that the magi- and the grand caravan following them- are on the way to see the new King.  The Bible does not mention anyone traveling with the magi, whereas the painting indicates that the magi headed a large caravan.  This discrepancy could suggest that the magi’s recognition of Jesus as King over Herod started a much larger political resistance.  Matthew 2:9 describes the star as a leader for the magi, In his painting, Tissot portrays this by placing the star in the center at the top of the painting so it appears to be ahead of the caravan.  In addition, Tissot furthers the symbolism of the star by having it literally light the way.  The sky is dark, but the magi appear to be traveling during the daytime.  In this way, Tissot suggests that the star is more than a map for the magi- it’s a light.  This possibly alludes to the fact that Jesus will be called the Light.  The three magi are at the forefront of the picture wearing yellow.  Yellow can mean many things, from happiness and freshness to honor and intellect.  For the magi, it is the latter: they represent honor and intellect.  Tissot included this in his painting to convey the importance of the magi’s recognition of a new King.  The magi are sometimes called Wise Men; their opinion has value.  The Tissot’s painting “The Journey of the Magi” portrays the magi as important to the story of Jesus: they declared him King and they lead many others to the new King.

Paige McDermott

St. Olaf Class of 2020