Diptych of Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus with a Quote on Confidence and love

Description Diptych of Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus with a Quote on Confidence and love

This color portrait of Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus, which illustrates this religious diptych, was produced in 1925 by Céline. Sister of the Saint of Lisieux, she entered in Carmel in 1894 and took the name of Sister Geneviève. Very gifted in painting, she put these talents at the service of the glorification of her holy Sister Thérèse of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face.
This picture is a resumption of a monochrome drawing which appeared for the first time in the editions of the History of a Soul of 1914. In 1925 Sister Geneviève took up the same subject, Sainte Thérèse with roses, in colors and sought to correct the defects of the original drawing. This time she was satisfied with her work: "I put my whole heart into it. One day, when it was finished, I looked at it and it seemed so real, so alive that I could not hold back my tears. It had seemed to me that my Thérèse looked at me too ... In my opinion, it bore the greatest resemblance of all. "
This portrait of the Little Flower, produced in sepia in the History of a Soul from 1925, was widely distributed in color in the form of images and postcards.
At the sight of these reproductions of Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus in color, Bishop de Teil, postulator of the cause, exclaimed: "You would think that Sister Thérèse painted her lips!"
Nowadays this painting in colors of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux is considered rather cutesy and we prefer photographs of the time. But you have to get back in the mood of time. At the end of the XIXth century taking a photograph was quite a work of patience because one should not move during the nine seconds of pause and Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus contracted her face so much that one never sees her smiling openly. It was then felt that photography could not make a portrait as true as painting. For this reason Sister Geneviève considered it necessary to compose in painting a portrait of her sister in order to give the true physiognomy of Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face.
For the right panel of this religious diptych, a quote from the saint has been chosen which recalls the importance of trust in the spirituality of Saint Teresa of Lisieux. Sainte Madeleine-Sophie Barat said that we are answered according to the measure of our confidence. This disposition of the heart greatly pleases Jesus, because by trust we recognize the greatness of his power, his kindness, his love, his generosity.

Quotation :

Ma voie est toute de confiance et d'Amour.
(Sainte Thérèse de l'Enfant Jésus et de la Sainte Face)