When we talk about art that is appropriate to the liturgy, that is the visual arts of murals, frescos, icons, etc., we refer to the art that serves the liturgy. It may be the paintings and stained glass that help us direct our hearts and minds to the contemplation ofContinue Reading
“Artists need the Church as much as the Church needs artists because it is in the Church that the Artists finds True Beauty and the meaning of their lives.” In November of 2009, His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI addressed a gathering of artists from all over the world. In manyContinue Reading
“To all who are passionately dedicated to the search for new “epiphanies” of beauty so that through their creative work as artists they may offer these as gifts to the world.” Pope Saint John Paul II perhaps understood the sensibility of artists better than most pontiffs. He was, after all,Continue Reading
“The Church needs artists because the world needs artists to show it Beauty and to bring hope and joy into the world.” At the close of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Pope Paul VI addressed the artists of the world. “We now address you, artists, who are taken up withContinue Reading
“The work of the artist assumes the role of a sacramental…helping us to attain the disposition necessary to receive God’s grace and allow grace to guide us in our work and our lives.” In 1952 Pope Pius XII addressed a group of Italian artists on the occasion of the sixthContinue Reading
“All too often design competitions are created from the point of view of the sponsors without any regard to the work they are requiring of the artist.” The recent World Meeting of Families(WMOF) sparked considerable controversy over the design of the vestments that were worn by the clergy celebrating MassContinue Reading
“While the Council of Nicaea affirmed the validity of the use of sacred images, the Council of Trent defined the role of art in service to the Church.” As we recounted previously, the Council of Nicaea refuted the ideas of the iconoclasts, and affirmed the validity of the use ofContinue Reading
“The composition of religious imagery is not left to the initiative of the artist, but is formed upon principles laid down by the Catholic Church and by religious tradition… The execution alone belongs to the painter, the selection and arrangement of subject belongs to the Fathers.” The above quote isContinue Reading
Storyteller is perhaps one of the most obvious roles of the artist. But when it comes to painters it is also one of the most maligned. As a people we seem to take endless delight into putting people into ever more specific categories. It is not enough to be anContinue Reading
“A Christian always looks forward, not back. Our entire existence here on earth is a journey towards Christ.” Are we constantly looking forward to the future or backward to the past? A Woman Taken in Adultery The Holy Gospel According to Saint John gives us an account of a womanContinue Reading