God’s Middle Name is Surprise: How a 17th-Century Painting Pulls Us into the Present

To recognize some reality means to recognize all reality.

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When the Archbishop of Milan bought Rembrandt’s Still Life with Peacocks and added it to his collection of “religious art,” he described it as a religious painting. Well, there was nothing religious about it. It’s all peacocks, fruit, flowers, and precious objects. What did he see in it? After all, it’s a typical 17th-century still life.

I…