The Dream of St. Joseph.
Room with a view.
I have painted this image many times - not a copy of the above depiction - rather the subject. I have created icons and a few retablo style paintings of the dream of St. Joseph. One image in particular, which I could never show - was my favorite, and often reminded those who saw it of Frida Khalo’s work. (I felt it was more influenced by George Tooker, shown below.) Unfortunately, I never had any of these images photographed professionally, and all of them are “lost” - that is, I do not remember who bought them or where they have ended up.
The scene of the annunciation to St. Joseph - in my imagination - does not include the Blessed Virgin, except as imaged in a faint apparition of the Virgin of the Sign - but not at all as if she is in the same room. In my mind, Joseph is young, troubled in sleep, with the angel appearing to him preceding the vision of the Virgin. The angel is also male in appearance - almost a mirror image of Joseph - and closely resembling the young Christ. (Joseph would be the supposed father of Jesus, hence, I like to imagine Christ as resembling him.)
Perplexed and conflicted.
I think the image of the dream of St. Joseph is very much for men - it is about an ordinary man, the critical choice which he is presented with, and one that will affect him for the rest of his life. It seems to me that on some level, the decisions Joseph faced are similar to the issues many men must deal with in life. Such as the anxieties concerning life’s purpose and meaning, as well as issues of accepting the responsibilities in life which affect a man’s vocation and career.
More deeply, a man of faith may well encounter a similar dark night to what Joseph experienced, perhaps challenging him morally and affectively. Though St. Joseph was perplexed, he remained faithful, and as the Gospel tells us, through the message of an angel, the Saint was permitted a view of God’s plan for him.
Joseph can be a model for us, but more importantly, and effectively, an intercessor when we are confronted by life’s challenges. St. Joseph, being a just man, could not abandon his responsibility towards the Blessed Virgin. Even though one could say he had been emotionally conflicted, Joseph nobly decided to put the holy Virgin away quietly. Of course, God intervened, and St. Joseph was no longer afraid.