Liverpool Cathedral

I visited Liverpool Cathedral today to see Monadic Singularity by Anish Kapoor. Liverpool Cathedral is the largest cathedral in Britain and the 5th largest Cathedral in the world. It is filled with amazing artwork including statues, paintings and sculptures. It also hosts many installations such as Monadic Singularity.

Churches and Cathedrals have provided inspiration to some of the Western world’s greatest music and visual art. At times of widespread illiteracy, visual art in churches was a powerful means of both communication and control. At Liverpool Cathedral there is art for everyone to enjoy, whether that be a traditional painting, a classic stained glass window or the instagramable neon sign under the West Window. In keeping with the vastness of the building, Liverpool Cathedral has good examples of larger works by five Royal Academicians: Craigie Aitchison; Tracey Emin; Elisabeth Frink; Christopher Le Brun; and Adrian Wiszniewski, alongside works by a number of other contemporary artists.

While making your way around the Cathedral you will encounter:

• The Welcoming Christ Sculpture by Elizabeth Frink: This is the first piece of art you will see when coming into the Cathedral. On Easter Day 1993, Elizabeth Frink’s The Welcoming Christ was unveiled at Liverpool Cathedral. The artist died a few days later, but the sculpture was enough to establish her as one of the foremost religious sculptors of the century.
• ‘For You’ Light Installation by Tracey Emin: Located at the West Window, the purpose of this neon art installation is to encourage the viewer to think about love and the need to share love. It is specifically placed over the main doors of the Cathedral for people to spend time in contemplation as they enter or before they leave the building.The work was commissioned by the Chapter of Liverpool Cathedral as a principal contribution to Liverpool’s year as European Capital of Culture 2008.
• Painting of Crucifixion by Gary Bunt: Bert, his dog, our God – An artist’s impression of the New Testament. Gary paints in ‘the shed’ (his studio) which is nestled in his garden which he has designed and landscaped so the village church spire can be seen from his easel. 
• Icon of the Trinity Painting by Cristi Paslaru: As you enter The Baptistry you will notice this piece. This icon is a copy, by the contemporary Romanian iconographer Cristi Paslaru, of the original 15th century piece deemed to be by the Russian painter Andrei Rublev, whose original work hangs in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.
• The Outraged Christ by Charles Lutyens: Entering the Derby Transept you will see the ‘Outraged Christ’ sculpture. It is a 15ft high depiction in wood, iron, and steel of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Made of hard and soft wood, drilled, dowelled and bound together with powerful construction adhesive, it was shaped primarily with a large chisel and chainsaw by Charles Lutyens. Charles decided to become an artist while at Bryanston School in Dorset. He studied oil painting and sculpture at the Chelsea, Slade, St Martin’s and Central Schools of Art in London, and later in 1957 with Andre Lhote in Paris. This sculpture was started some 40 years ago, while sitting outside College – Over a period of days he sculpted the head of Christ. You can find out more about Charles Lutyens here.
• LJMU Cross sculpture by J. R. M. Robertson: This Cross was presented to Liverpool Cathedral by Liverpool Polytechnic on the Tenth Anniversary of the Polytechnic in 1980. The sculpture was designed and constructed by J. R. M. Robertson of the Fine Art Department. 
• The Good Samaritan by Adrian Wisznieski: Located in the South Choir Aisle, The Good Samaritan was Commissioned in 1995 and given to the Cathedral in March 1996. Funded by the Jerusalem Trust, £94000 for 2 paintings and £11750 framing. 
• Kneeling Madonna by Giovanni De La Robbia: Donated by Francis Neilson a 15th century statue in wood of the Kneeling Madonna by Giovanni Della Robbia is complemented by a figure of the Baby Christ Child in The Lady Chapel. 
• The Baby Christ Child by Don MacKinlay: In 2002, the Cathedral Chapter commissioned the Rossendale artist, Don McKinlay, to create a Christ-child to be set alongside the Madonna. The commission was given in memory of Dean Derrick Walters who died in 2000.
• Josephine Butler Windows: The Josephine Butler Trust commissioned the work to restore the Noble Women windows within the Lady Chapel. The nineteenth century social reformer and campaigner for women’s rights is one of the 12 women featured in the windows. The trust works to keep her vision alive and annually celebrates current social reformers.
• At the End…A Beginning by Richard Harrison: The artist Richard Harrison, whose triptych ‘Crucifixion: At the End… A Beginning’ hangs in the Cathedral Ambulatory, it was accepted to exhibit at the John Moores 2010 Exhibition at the Walker Art Gallery. 
• Risen Christ Maquette by Elizabeth Frink: This Marquette is located in the Ambulatory… Dame Elisabeth Frink was an English sculptor and printmaker born in Suffolk November 1930. She studied at the Guilford School of Art and at the Chelsea School of Art. She became a part of a post-war group of British sculptors. 
• Calvary by John Ronald Craigie Aitchison CBE RSA RA: This painting is located in The Chapter House- it was Commissioned by the Dean and Chapter of Liverpool Cathedral and was dedicated on 8th July 1998 at Evensong. The artist has a deep feeling for the crucifixion. He captures the desolation, the horror, and the pain; but at the same time, he manages in his frugal style, to signal the crucifixion as the gateway to hope and resurrection. 
• The Holy Family by Josefina Vasconcellos: Josefina de Vasconcellos was an internationally renowned sculptor who was born in Molesey in Surrey in 1904. Vasconcellos was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1985 for her community work for disadvantaged and disabled children. This sculpture is located in The Children’s Chapel. 
• Painting of Liverpool Cathedral by Hannah Thompson: This beautiful painting of the Cathedral and its surroundings is located in The Children’s Chapel. 
• Our Lady of Walsingham by Unknown: This impressive sculpture is located in the North Choir Aisle. 
• House Built Upon Rock by Adrian Wiszniewski: Located in the North Choir Aisle, this painting was Commissioned in 1995 and given to the Cathedral in March 1996. Funded by the Jerusalem Trust, £94000 for 2 paintings and £11750 framing. An allegory of The House Built Upon Rock will show a family at the seaside with a serpentine sand snake, sandcastles, buckets and spades. The painting is using the parable as a premonition of Christ’s crucifixion. 
• Cross Icon painting by Ludmila Pawlowska: She is a Kazakh Post-war and contemporary artist who was born in 1964. Numerous Art Galleries and museums have featured Ludmila’s work. This piece is located in The Chapel of The Holy Spirit. 
• The Redemption by Arthur Dooley and Anne McTavish: On the 12th March 1997, The Fabric advisory committee approved the application to display a sculpture and tapestry “The Redemption” by Sculptor Arthur Dooley and Embroiderer Ann McTavish in the chapel of the Holy Spirit.
• Christi Paslaru pieces in Chapel of The Holy Spirit: Large Icons Painting – The Icons were painted on boards that have been cut to size and sculpted in a Monastery. They are made of lime wood with oak struts on the back which prevent warping. The wood is prepared in the traditional manner with a canvas and several layers of gesso (plaster). The style of painting is known as Tempera on Wood.
• Memorial Bust Noel Chavasse by Terry Mc Donald: Located in The Memorial Chapel this sculpture is made by Terry Mcdonald. His apprenticeship began when he was still a teenager at the Bluecoat Studios, he was there for 10 years. In Liverpool Cathedral he worked on some of the intricate finials of the huge columns after they were damaged in a storm. 
• The Prodigal Son by Christopher Le Brun: Located on the left side of the Presbytery, this painting was made in 1996. The phrase from the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) which inspired the artist was ‘He saw him while he was still far off…’. The road winds towards us from the distant land through which the son had travelled. As he approaches, head down, arms at his side, he is greeted by the dog that jumps up in recognition. 
• The Good Samaritan by Christopher Le Brun: Also located in the Presbytery the painting was funded by the Jerusalem Trust £152750 for the 2 paintings The Prodigal Son and The Good Samaritan, £17625 for framing. In 2009 Le Brun was commissioned by the Royal Mint to design a new fifty pence piece commemorating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in London.
• ‘Praise’ by Peter Vaillant: The painting is located at the shop stairs. Peter Vaillant is a recognised and acclaimed British abstract artist, obtaining notoriety, through international exhibitions. Reviewed as having an intrepid, powerful, and vibrant modernism, distinguishable to his peers.

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George Harrison - Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth).

Richard Paton & Craigie Aitchison - Prayer Chapel window, St Martin in the Bull Ring

This year, in addition to the East window at All Saints Goodmayes, commission4mission member Richard Paton had the privilege of making what was Craigie Aitchison’s final design. The artist Craigie Aitchison passed away in 2009 with his blessing given to make a window for the Prayer Chapel in St Martins in the Bull Ring, Birmingham.

It took longer than expected to finally commission the window but after several samples Richard convinced those concerned that a combination of fused glass and traditional painting was the best way to remain faithful to Craigie’s powerful design. The unusual dark background adds intensity to the figure of Christ in the central window. It was made by Richard Paton and finally installed in August 2015.

Earlier in the year Richard installed a 3 meter high stained glass window set into a light box at a North London Synagogue. The window was inspired by a translation of an 11th Century poem which has been visualised in a design by Michael Hall under the supervision of translator Raphael Loewe. Rainbow Glass Studios were commissioned in 2014 to make the stained glass window using the same techniques available to the medieval glaziers. It’s a very esoteric and interesting piece, which Richard says was a privilege to work on.

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Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch, Dave Rawlings & Buddy Miller - Pilgrim.

commission4mission's latest commission - East window, All Saints Goodmayes

commission4mission recently completed its 13th commission, an East window at All Saints Goodmayes created by Henry Shelton and Richard Paton. The window will be dedicated in 2016 by our patron The Rt Revd Stephen Cottrell, Bishop of Chelmsford.

The window was made and installed by Richard Paton to a design by Henry Shelton. Richard and Henry have previously worked together on commission4mission commissions at All Saints Hutton where they created two sets of etched glass windows.Henry’s colourful abstract design for the three light East window features, in his inimitable minimal style, imagery representing the Holy Trinity. Henry is a member of the congregation and previously created etched glass windows for the Reindorp Chapel at All Saints.

The window commemorates the 100th Anniversary of the church and has been funded, in part, by donations from the congregation in memory of loved ones.

Richard Paton says: “The last few weeks has seen the making and fitting of a new East Window at All Saints Church, Goodmayes celebrating the church’s Centenary. This very colourful design by Henry Shelton symbolises the Holy Trinity (God the Father, Jesus & the Holy Ghost) depicted in just 3 lines. The space inside has been transformed from anonymous small square glass making a large space more intimate and warm.”

Richard Paton has over 20 years experience working with glass. When he is not creating works of art in glass, he teaches glass-making classes in the various techniques, passing on his tips, tricks and considerable knowledge to others. Also in 2015, using Craigie Aitchison’s final design, he made a window for the Prayer Chapel in St Martins in the Bull Ring and a 3 meter high stained glass window set into a light box hung on the wall of a North London Synagogue depicting an 11th Century poem visualised in a design by Michael Hall.

Richard graduated from Liverpool with a BA (Hons) in Fine Art in 1990 and was awarded an MA in Visual Culture at Middlesex University in 1998. He is a self-taught stained glass artist with 20 years in the trade who started Rainbow Glass Studios, based in Stoke Newington, North London, in 2001. In that time Richard has had hundreds of commissions which have required different techniques and designs to fulfil very diverse briefs. These range from corporate work to individual commissions from the rich and famous through to work in churches. The variety of glass techniques at his disposal uniquely puts him at an advantage to explore interesting and original work. He teaches regularly at his studio on weekday evenings and runs Saturday workshops for beginners. His work has been featured on TV and at the National Gallery. He is also on the committee for the Contemporary Glass Society who promote the work of glass artists.

Henry Shelton is a noted painter of religious art in a contemporary style. He trained as an apprentice draughtsman in a London studio developing his drawing skills in lettering and fine art. After 15 years he set up his own studio receiving many commissions from such clients as the Science Museum, borough councils, private and corporate bodies. He then worked designing in studios across the world, including Hong Kong and the USA.

Throughout this time and up to the present he has painted Christian art and his commissions include an Ascension installed as an altarpiece in the Church of the Saviour, Chell Heath; the Millennium clock tower in Goodmayes, and the memorial etched-glass windows in All Saints Church, Goodmayes, depicting events in the life of Jesus. In 2007 he had a one-man exhibition in York Minister of the Stations of the Cross. Most recently, he has completed commissions for St Luke’s Chapel in Queens Hospital Romford, a contemporary set of Stations of the Crown of Thorns for St Paul’s Goodmayes and etched glass windows for All Saints Hutton.

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Moby - Almost Home.

still small voice: creating sacred space

My latest exhibition review for the Church Times is of still small voice at The Wilson in Cheltenham. The collection of British biblical art currently on show there 'begins with the Nazarene and Pre-Raphaelite styles of William Dobson and William Bell Scott, and continues, with Eric Gill as the bridge between Modernism and the earlier Arts and Crafts movement, through the inter-war period of the 1920s and 1930s, the Second World War, the post-war era, and the later 20th century, into the early 21st century.'

Included is a stunning Craigie Aitchison piece: 'Completed just a year before his death, Body of Christ (Red Background) is an example of the spiritual depths of modern art, with its full-on expressive use of colour combined with the stripped-back minimalism of its imagery. Christ is the cross, the cross is the wound at the heart of the canvas, and this gash in the blood-red background is the point at which light enters the space ...

this is art that creates sacred space by taking you "somewhere beyond yourself and outside of your own little world".'

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Krzysztof Penderecki - St. Luke's Passion.

Beyond 'Airbrushed from Art History' (6)

Lord Harries' begins a series of lectures this week on Christian Faith and Modern Art at the Museum of London.

The last century has seen changes in artistic style that have been both rapid and radical. This has presented a particular problem to artists who have wished to express Christian themes. These illustrated lectures will look at how different artists have responded to this challenge whilst retaining their artistic integrity.

The Explosion of Modernism. Wednesday, 19 October 2011 - 1:00pm: The period before World War 1 saw an extraordinary burst of creativity in all the arts which has decisively effected all subsequent developments. This lecture will look at the emergence of expressionism and amongst other artists will consider in detail the work of Nolde, Jacob Epstein and Rouault.

Distinctive Individual Visions. Wednesday, 16 November 2011 - 1:00pm: As at the end of the 18^th century William Blake developed a highly individual style that did not fit easily into the categories of the age, so in our time artists like Marc Chagall, Stanley Spencer and Cecil Collins, in their very different ways, have sought to express an intense, highly personal religious vision of the world.

Catholic Elegance and Joy. Wednesday, 14 December 2011 - 1:00pm: In the period under consideration a fair number of the artists considered have been Roman Catholics, but at one time there was a particular symbiosis between two of them, Eric Gill and David Jones, who will be discussed along with others who shared their faith.

Post World War II Optimism. Wednesday, 18 January 2012 - 1:00pm: After World War II, without forgetting the terrible suffering earlier in the century, there was a new confidence expressed in the artistic commissions of the time. Older artists who had been active before World War I such as Epstein and Matisse received commissions as well as younger artists such as Graham Sutherland, known especially for his work in Coventry Cathedral, Ceri Richards and Henry Moore.

Searching for New Ways. Wednesday, 22 February 2012 - 1:00pm: From the 1960s to our own time artists who have wished to express Christian themes have explored a number of very different artistic ways of doing so. Amongst those considered in this lecture are Albert Herbert, Norman Adams, John Reilly and Craigie Aitchison.

Contemporary Christian Art. Wednesday, 21 March 2012 - 1:00pm: Contrary to much opinion, the current scene of faith-related art is very much alive. There are new commissions for churches and cathedrals, a number of artists pursue their work on the basis of a deeply convinced faith, and other artists often resonate with traditional Christian themes, albeit in a highly untraditional way. The challenge for the artist, stated in the introduction to the course of lectures above, is still very much there: how to retain artistic integrity whilst doing justice to received themes.

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King's X - Faith, Hope, Love.

Exhibiting spirituality

It has been interesting to see the number of exhibitions recently which have explored some aspect of spirituality. Both the numbers and differing styles of exhibition would seem to indicate a renewed engagement within the art world with the force and mystery of spirituality.

Blood Tears Faith Doubt was an exhibition at the Courtauld Gallery curated by students which "confronted historic Christian art with contemporary art that continues to address the same visual tradition." The contemporary works selected allude to or depict religious imagery or practices but are ambiguous or ironic in their response therefore providing a strong contrast with works of devotion from a earlier age.

A similar questioning of received traditions can be found in Newspeak: British Art Now at the Saatchi Gallery and particularly in the stunning work of Ged Quinn. Quinn reproduces with great technical virtuosity works from the golden ages of classical, romantic and genre paintings but inserts within these compositions jarring contemporary images which undercut the arcadian images. Cake in the Wilderness depicts a cherry cake cut into a crucifix which is also the shape of the infamous Spandau prison while True Peace Will Prevail Under The Rule juxtaposes Claude Lorrain's depiction of Jacob, Rachel and Leah at the well with Mount Carmel, home of David Koresh's dissident religious community. By these means Quinn questions idealist images of faith and tradition in a way that challenges the honesty and veracity of religious image making.

Mark Wallinger's recent show at the Anthony Reynolds Gallery also questioned the substance of religion with the second of two sculptures meditating on the nature of selfhood. Richard Dorment described I Am Innocent as consisting:

"of two bigger-than-life-size reproductions of Velázquez’s portrait of Pope Innocent X shown back-to-back and revolving slowly from a cable attached to a motor in the ceiling. On one side, we see the portrait as Velázquez painted it, with the Pope on the left hand side; on the other, the portrait is reversed, so that he sits on the right."

Here we see, Dorment suggests, "a human being whose “I” is subsumed in the trappings of power."

However, despite the prevalence of ironic juxtaposition in a exhibition such as Newspeak, there have also been more positive responses to spirituality on show. The photographs of Leah Gordon at Riflemaker have much in common with those of Markéta Luskačová in Blood Tears Faith Doubt, in that both depict the poignant integrity with which those they photograph practice their faith and, through this, capture a sense of the sacred in the everyday.

Gordon writes that: "Photography has rarely been embraced as a form of representation by religions. It is as if photography with it's indelible relationship to the material could only serve to disprove the divine. Although when one reflects on its alchemical past it seems rooted in magical process." The work of both suggests that such attitudes should change.

Gordon's exhibition is called The Invisibles, a title which tallies with several of the abstract works on show in this year's Royal Academy Summer Exhibition such as The Unseen by Emma Biggs and Matthew Collings. In the same room is Jane Harris’s Divine which combines a golden comb-like oval framing a white void. The still harmonious parallels of this composition hide an infinite variety of brushstrokes when seen close-up; suggestive of the permanence and change contained within the divine.

Finally, the Summer Exhibition includes a commemorative display by the late Craigie Aitchison including several of his luminous Crucifixions while the Kings Place Gallery has a wonderful selection of landscape and religious works by the late Norman Adams (see above). With this latter exhibition, for once, a gallery's exhibition description seems entirely accurate:

"When Norman Adams died in March 2005, Britain lost one of the most significant artists to have emerged over the last half century. Spanning a career of almost sixty years, Adams’ art was essentially ecstatic and life affirming in its approach to nature and man’s place within it.
Drawn from the artist’s estate, the paintings and watercolours in this exhibition explore five decades of prolific output during the course of which Adams evolved an intensely original and personal style in which the poetical and Romantic landscape traditions of Blake and Turner are infused with the broader currents of European Modernism – Van Gogh and Ensor, Nolde and Picasso among others - to create one of the most deeply felt and emotionally intense expressions of the Northern Expressionist sensibility in late 20th Century British art."

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King Crimson - Starless And Bible Black.

Highlights & new works for the Methodist Collection of Art

Wallspace is about to embark on their fourth year of operation with an exciting world premier of new painting for what has been described as “the best denominational collection of modern art outside the Vatican.”

The Collection: Highlights and new works for the Methodist collection of modern and contemporary art

23 June – 16 July 2010. Wallspace, All Hallows on the Wall, 83 London Wall, EC2M 5ND
Tuesday - Friday 12am – 6pm. Saturday 11am – 4pm. Nearest tube Liverpool Street or Moorgate. For directions go to www.wallspace.org.uk. Admission free.

Wallspace is delighted to host some great paintings from this remarkable collection. It is part of their vision to bring significant works of contemporary art to the City of London – and the fact that this exhibition will form part of the City of London Festival’s annual celebration of the arts is a real bonus.


This exhibition is the first opportunity to see significant new acquisitions and loans from major artists such as Craigie Aitchison, Susie Hamilton, Clive Hicks-Jenkins, Peter Howson, David Jones, John Muafangejo, He Qi, Sadao Watanabe and Roger Wagner.


Methodist Publishing and the Collection trustees will also take this opportunity to launch the new Guide to the Collection with an introduction by art critic and former Turner Prize judge Richard Cork.


During The Collection Wallspace will be hosting a number of special events. Here are just some of them:

• Artists' evening - Thursday 24 June, 7 – 9pm. Sold your Soul? Artists and collectors discuss their different perspectives on acquiring, or being acquired for, a collection. Open to all artists.


• Bible Society Reception and Tour of the Exhibition - 29 June, 7 – 9pm. An opportunity to view this unique collection of modern and contemporary art on the life of Christ, in the company of Luke Walton, Culture Programme Manager, Bible Society and Meryl Doney, exhibition curator and Director of Wallspace.


• Friends of the Methodist Art Collection - Thursday 1 July, 6.30 for 7 – 9pm. Reception and special viewing of the exhibition with an opportunity to meet some of the artists with works in the Collection. All welcome.


• Methodist Churches Late Opening - Tuesday 6 July, 6 – 8pm. Late night opening and tour of the exhibition, for members of all London Methodist churches.


• Moot Community Visit - Wednesday 7 July, 7.35 – 8.30. Late night opening for members of Moot Community, St Edmund the King & St Mary Woolnoth, Lombard Street EC3V 9EA.

Part of the City of London Festival programme 21 June – 9 July 2010. See http://irun.yourcrm.co.uk/app/e/l/289292/13105/367/22886.aspx for details.

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Sufjan Stevens - The Transfiguration.

Norman Adams @ Marle Place Gardens & Gallery

In Brenchley, near Tonbridge in Kent, Marle Place is a peaceful, privately owned Wealden garden, ten acres of formal planting and many more acres of woodland and orchard. It is a plantman and artist's garden, featuring a Victorian gazebo, Edwardian rockery and walled fragrant garden. A restored 19th century greenhouse with orchid collection, a mosaic terrace and ornamental ponds. The 17th century house with a massive chimney is of architectural interest, but not open.

The Gallery houses varied exhibitions throughout the season by contemporary painters, sculptors, potters and makers, on show and for sale. The current exhibition is Norman Adams RA: Spirit in the Garden. The exhibition consists of nine large watercolours all painted in the last 15 years of Adams' life. The exhibition examines the symbolism of Adams' abstract works and the origin of these forms in the emotional intensity of these religious and spiritual paintings. Adams' vast watercolours are alive, saturated, even baptised, with colour and passion.

This exhibition is part of a larger group of exhibitions called Cross Purposes and instigated by Mascalls Gallery, which includes Santiago Bell, Susan Shaw, Maggie Hambling and Craigie Aitchison. Centering on Chagall's drawings for the windows of nearby Tudeley which are coming to the UK for the first time, this exhibition explores the uses of the crucifixion by a broad range of artists featuring the work of many artists including Stanley Spencer, Graham Sutherland, and Eric Gill. The exhibition addresses both meditative religious works as well as more horrific secular works. The exhibition tours to Ben Uri Gallery, London's Jewish Museum of Art. To listen to a review of this on Radio 3's Night Waves click here to go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00rpwkh/Night_Waves_Ideas_Election_Maggi_Hambling/

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Brian Kennedy - Hollow.