Biblical Art from Wales is a fascinating book and DVD Rom which has emerged from the very valuable Imaging the Bible in Wales project of the University of Wales Lampeter. This project (focussed on 1825–1975), analyses the social, political and theological questions raised by Welsh biblical visual culture so that its contribution to the intellectual, artistic and cultural heritage of Wales can be recognized and preserved.
The book showcases the wide variety and range of biblical art found in Wales, much of it little known and explores the significance and influence of the Bible in the visual culture in Wales in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries – from the simplicity of the Nonconformist chapel and the synagogues to the colourful array of stained glass found in many churches and the icons of the Orthodox tradition.
Throughout Wales, the Bible has been interpreted and illustrated in a surprisingly wide range of media: in paint and sculpture, needlework and ceramic, woodcarving and engraving. The illustrations in the book demonstrate how the process of ‘visual exegesis’ was an important feature of religious and cultural life in Wales in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. As well as evaluating the work of particular artists, such as David Jones, John Petts and Ivor Williams, specific examples of Pre-Raphaelite work in Wales and in the artisan visual tradition are also discussed.
The DVD adds a further interpretative dimension. It contains over 600 images and allows the reader to explore further subjects introduced in the book, arranged and structured as seven key representative themes such as 'Word and Image', 'the Bible in the Welsh Landscape', 'Domestic Piety', and so on. Both the book and DVD are supported by an online database of images. From the DVD one can click directly into the online database (which contains over 3,000 images), hosted by the National Library of Wales, to find out more information about the context of individual images.
The book, DVD, and overall project are invaluable simply in documenting the range and variety of artworks engaging with Biblical themes in Wales and demonstrates the profound impact that the Bible has had on British culture. While the work of artists such as John Petts and Ivor Williams, whose work is not well known, is highlighted, there are nevertheless no great discoveries in terms of the originality of the work uncovered and there is a clear tailing off of the quantity of images as the record comes to the contemporary period. This suggests that the impact of the Bible on contemporary Welsh culture has lessened and the book is ambivalent about the future of Biblical art in Wales as a result.
The final paragraph of the book notes that "the culturally-Christian upbringing and biblical education which were once such powerfully formative influences are increasingly outside the experience of younger generations." If this book and project serve as a resource for future generations of artists to tap those influences then they will have been worthwhile indeed.
Other projects documenting (on a less rigorous basis) church commissions within the UK include:
- Ecclesiart, Art & Christianity Enquiry's (ACE) project to map significant works of Modern (post 1920) and contemporary art in UK churches and cathedrals. ACE hope that the works included so far: stimulate debate about the merits of such works; encourage further nominations from the public as well as a selected panel of publicly-known figures from the worlds of art and religion; demonstrate the variety and richness of the works which are part of a collective ownership; and encourage increased responsibility towards works which may be under-appreciated.
- commission4mission's Art Trail for the Barking Episcopal Area which will publicise the extent to which churches in this Area of the Diocese of Chelmsford contain significant art and craft works. Examples of art within the Barking Area's churches include work by significant twentieth century artists such as Eric Gill, Hans Feibusch, John Hutton and John Piper, together with contemporary work by the like of Mark Cazalet, Jane Quail and Henry Shelton.
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