Triumph
Triumph is the culminating masterwork to finish off a series of five paintings including Temptation, The Rescue, Sanctuarii and Saraigh Ceol. The first four, in theme, visually portray an experience of intimate, personal human conflict; the struggles that universally all humankind must face in some form or another. Triumph, on the other hand, depicts the overcoming of all conflict. Here, the central character rises above the temptations, trials, sorrows and evils of the world in the form of the dragons beneath her—in essence all the forms of which Satan, the destroyer, takes to bring us down into his captivity. She stands upon a rock, representing her conversion to Christ, the foundation upon which she builds her life and testimony. The ‘rising above’ comes line upon line, precept upon precept, and one act of faith upon another, thus represented by the stones beneath her feet. Now that she has stripped Satan of all his power through her righteousness, the dragons are bound—here literally with chains and fetters—and can no longer touch her. Because they cannot destroy her and because all evil is self-defeating, they turn upon each other in their quest for destruction. They have no other purpose. In thism moment of triumph, she comes forward to be presented in the morning of the first resurrection, portrayed in the scene behind. The wings are the grace of God, by which she is lifted up after all that she could do to reach toward salvation. and she wears the armor of righteousness, symbolizing the spiritual battle that was fought to achieve such glory and one that had continued on from the pre-existence. At her shoulders are lions, the courage required to succeed; the crimson on her sleeves, the sacrifice required to overcome and endure. On the breastplate, just beneath the crown, is an emblem of the tree, here representing both the sealing of the ancestors to their posterity, the roots to the branches, and the tree of life, which is the pure love of Christ and the power by which that sealing is made manifest. About her head is a gossamer veil, the resting of the Holy Ghost upon her to guide and make clear her thoughts toward God. Behind her, emanating in brilliant gold is imagery of the wheat (the inner ring) and the tares (the outer ring), separated in the last great harvesting of souls brought about through the power of the priesthood (the overlapping squares symbol representing the Melchizedek priesthood). Because she has been valiant, she has been gathered into the center of the inner ring and the look of peace and assurance on her face exhibits confidence in her place. Lastly, the crown in her hands symbolizes the crown of glory which she receives for her faithfulness. The pearls nestled in it are the ‘Pearls of Great Price’ which she has given all she had to purchase in her desire for truth and light. Also there are depictions of a star, moon and at the apex of the crown is the sun, symbolizing the greatest of the three glories which she will receive in the Kingdom of God. More than simply a representation of what I would envision receiving exaltation being like, Triumph was created to be a symbol of hope. Hope that all can achieve this same glory and that God will provide us a way to find it if we will but do what He asks, being faithful to the truth and enduring in righteousness until the end.