Seen and Unseen: This gallery refresh adds drama to the story of art

My latest article for Seen and Unseen is 'This gallery refresh adds drama to the story of art' which explores how rehanging the Sainsbury Wing at the National Gallery revives the emotion of great art:

'Christianity became the predominant power shaping European culture after classical antiquity, inspiring artists and patrons to evoke the nature of sacred mysteries in visual terms. The rehang of The Sainsbury Wing brings to life the way artists forged a new way of painting, painting with a drama that no one had seen before and with stories flowing across panels in colourful scenes. These displays also promote a greater understanding of how works of art were, and still are, used as models of moral behaviour, as celebrations of the deeds of holy figures or as a plea for one’s hopes, both in this life and in the afterlife.'

For more on the National Gallery and the place of art in Christendom see here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

My first article for Seen and Unseen was 'Life is more important than art' which reviews the themes of recent art exhibitions that tackle life’s big questions and the roles creators take.

My second article 'Corinne Bailey Rae’s energised and anguished creative journey' explores inspirations in Detroit, Leeds and Ethiopia for Corinne Bailey Rae’s latest album, Black Rainbows, which is an atlas of capacious faith.

My third article was an interview with musician and priest Rev Simpkins in which we discussed how music is an expression of humanity and his faith.

My fourth article was a guide to the Christmas season’s art, past and present. Traditionally at this time of year “great art comes tumbling through your letterbox” so, in this article, I explore the historic and contemporary art of Christmas.

My fifth article was 'Finding the human amid the wreckage of migration'. In this article I interviewed Shezad Dawood about his multimedia Leviathan exhibition at Salisbury Cathedral where personal objects recovered from ocean depths tell a story of modern and ancient migrations.

My sixth article was 'The visionary artists finding heaven down here' in which I explored a tradition of visionary artists whose works shed light on the material and spiritual worlds.

My seventh article was 'How the incomer’s eye sees identity' in which I explain how curating an exhibition for Ben Uri Online gave me the chance to highlight synergies between ancient texts and current issues.

My eighth article was 'Infernal rebellion and the questions it asks' in which I interview the author Nicholas Papadopulos about his book The Infernal Word: Notes from a Rebel Angel.

My ninth article was 'A day, night and dawn with Nick Cave’s lyrics' in which I review Adam Steiner’s Darker With The Dawn — Nick Cave’s Songs Of Love And Death and explore whether Steiner's rappel into Cave’s art helps us understand its purpose.

My 10th article was 'Theresa Lola's poetical hope' about the death-haunted yet lyrical, joyful and moving poet for a new generation.

My 11th article was 'How to look at our world: Aaron Rosen interview', exploring themes from Rosen's book 'What Would Jesus See: Ways of Looking at a Disorienting World'.

My 12th article was 'Blake, imagination and the insight of God', exploring a new exhibition - 'William Blake's Universe at the Fitzwilliam Museum - which focuses on seekers of spiritual regeneration and national revival.

My 13th article 'Matthew Krishanu: painting childhood' was an interview with Matthew Krishanu on his exhibition 'The Bough Breaks' at Camden Art Centre.

My 14th article was entitled 'Art makes life worth living' and explored why society, and churches, need the Arts.

My 15th article was entitled 'The collective effervescence of sport's congregation' and explored some of the ways in which sport and religion have been intimately entwined throughout history

My 16th article was entitled 'Paradise cottage: Milton reimagin’d' and reviewed the ways in which artist Richard Kenton Webb is conversing with the blind poet in his former home (Milton's Cottage, Chalfont St Giles).

My 17th article was entitled 'Controversial art: how can the critic love their neighbour?'. It makes suggestions of what to do when confronted with contentious culture.

My 18th article was an interview entitled 'Art, AI and apocalypse: Michael Takeo Magruder addresses our fears and questions'. In the interview the digital artist talks about the possibilities and challenges of artificial intelligence.

My 19th article was entitled 'Dark, sweet and subtle: recovered music orientates us'. In the article I highlight alt-folk music seeking inspiration from forgotten hymns.

My 20th article was entitled 'Revisiting Amazing Grace inspires new songs'. In the article I highlight folk musicians capturing both the barbaric and the beautiful in the hymn Amazing Grace and Christianity's entanglement with the transatlantic slave trade more generally.

My 21st article was entitled 'James MacMillan’s music of tranquility and discord'. In the article I noted that the composer’s music contends both the secular and sacred.

My 22nd article was a book review on Nobody's Empire by Stuart Murdoch. 'Nobody's Empire: A Novel is the fictionalised account of how ... Murdoch, lead singer of indie band Belle and Sebastian, transfigured his experience of Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME) through faith and music.'

My 23rd article was entitled 'Rock ‘n’ roll’s long dance with religion'. The article explores how popular music conjures sacred space.

My 24th article was an interview with Alastair Gordon on the artist’s attention which explores why the overlooked and everyday capture the creative gaze.

My 25th article was about Stanley Spencer’s seen and unseen world and the artist’s child-like sense of wonder as he saw heaven everywhere.

My 26th article was entitled 'The biblical undercurrent that the Bob Dylan biopics missed' and in it I argue that the best of Dylan’s work is a contemporary Pilgrim, Dante or Rimbaud on a compassionate journey.

My 27th article was entitled 'Heading Home: a pilgrimage that breaks out beauty along the way' and focuses on a film called 'Heading Home' which explores how we can learn a new language together as we travel.

My 28th article was entitled 'Annie Caldwell: “My family is my band”' and showcased a force of nature voice that comes from the soul.

My 29th article was entitled 'Why sculpt the face of Christ?' and explored how, in Nic Fiddian Green’s work, we feel pain, strength, fear and wisdom.

My 30th article was entitled 'How Mumford and friends explore life's instability' and explored how Mumford and Sons, together with similar bands, commune on fallibility, fear, grace, and love.

My 31st article was entitled 'The late Pope Francis was right – Antoni Gaudi truly was God’s architect' and explored how sanctity can indeed be found amongst scaffolding, as Gaudi’s Barcelona beauties amply demonstrate.

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John Dunstable - Ave Maris Stella.

Modern art in City churches

'The Priory Church of St Bartholomew the Great contains a number of artworks by notable artists. Some of these are temporary loans, while others are permanent commissions.'

'Damien Hirst's statue of St Bartholomew, known by the title Exquisite Pain is back at St Bartholomew the Great and will be on loan to the church for the next few years. The statue is in the South Transept at the foot of the steps up to the South Doors. The statue is unmissable, but is doubly arresting because it is fully gilded . It grabs your attention even in dim light, and when the sun hits it, the effect is literally dazzling.'

'The artist Sophie Arkette created Colloquy for an exhibition at the Temple Church as a response to the ongoing celebrations of Magna Carta. This remarkable work is now on loan to the Priory Church, and its various parts have been positioned around the building in what is only a first attempt to find the right location for each. The glass elements are etched with text, which is both illuminated and distorted by the effects of light – both from candles that are in some cases lit within the element, and the light from sources around the building – and water, which is also included within parts of the work. Sophie Arkette worked in conjunction with Alan Freeman of Parndon Forge, and Jon Lewis of Orbic Glass in creating Colloquy. The glass etching was undertaken by Norfolk Resists.'

Aude Hérail Jäger's Enmeshed includes 'two large drawings Enmeshed I and Enmeshed II currently on loan at St Bartholomew the Great. Enmeshed illustrates human beings' interwoven-ness with each other and/or their story. The biblical theme of the Lamentation has fascinated Jäger for some years. In ordinary circumstances the group surrounding Christ would argue, plot, come together, fight, shout, laugh, etc. The Lamentation is the one moment when everyone and everything comes to a still-stand around the dead Christ. The figures become welded together and their cluster is the embodiment of grief. Both drawings also encompass recurrent themes in Jäger's work, such as the family and the theme of descending-ascending. In addition they are based on a new working method, which uses observational drawing in National Museums to extract particular aspects from Old Masters' work, which are then appropriated and transformed in large-scale drawings in the studio.'

Also on loan is Richard Harrison's Golgotha; 'rich in colour and texture with generous lashings of paint, which ebb and flow on the canvas reflecting turbulence and ... violent upheaval.' Harrison’s paintings have content which is often 'exaggerated by the vigorous and robust handling of voluminous layers of paint adeptly manipulated to create a dynamic expression of form and colour which resonate all-over the canvas thus underpinning the powerful emotional and visionary themes.'

'Alfredo Roldan was commissioned to paint an altarpiece of the Madonna and Child. In February 1999 it was unveiled in the Lady Chapel and dedicated by the Lord Bishop of London. Roldan aspires to embrace those major Avant-Garde moments of the early 20th century, which has defined his understanding of colour and shaped his application of form and composition. Without apology he acknowledges the influence of Matisse and Picasso and also Modigliani for his elongated portrayal of the female nude. And yet, like all genuine and honest painters who recognise the importance and significance of those historic revolutionary styles, Roldan has assimilated each derivative influence to create his own personal and very distinctive style of painting.'

A further permanent artwork is Josefina de Vasconcellos' terracotta The Risen Christ. De Vasconcellos was active as a sculptor from the early 1920s. As an artist she followed her own individual path, always believing that sculpture had a role to play as an inspirational force in society. In her extraordinary life she faced many challenges and disappointments, yet, sustained by her sincere Christian beliefs, managed to continue working into great old age. Versions of her best-known work Reconciliation now stand outside Coventry Cathedral, in the Hiroshima Peace Park, at the site of the Berlin Wall and in the grounds of Stormont Castle, Belfast. Many of her other works are in churches, cathedrals and private homes throughout the UK and overseas.

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Paul Mealor - A Tender Light.

St Margaret's Barking

George Jack (1855-1931) architect, furniture-designer, wood carver, stained glass artist, and teacher, was an important contributor to the Arts and Crafts Movement. He trained as an architect in Scotland, and became a full-time assistant to Philip Webb in 1882. Through Webb, Jack was introduced to William Morris and from 1885 began to design furniture for Morris & Co. Subsequently he took up wood carving and plaster moulding.

From 1929-1936, the architect Charles Canning Winmill involved Jack in the repair and renovation of St Margaret’s Barking. By the time he worked on St Margaret’s, Jack was in his 70s and was quite ill. Despite this fact, his work for the church was admirable and included: the memorial window to the Hewitt family in the Lady Chapel, a pair of tall candelabra, decoration of the Chancel roof, a carved memorial tablet, eight carved figures on the Youth Chapel screen (Captain Cook, Elisabeth Fry, St Ethelburga, two Barking fishermen, Saint James, Saint John and Saint Nicholas), and the Fisherman’s window in the Youth Chapel.

Jack also enlisted the help of his daughter Jessie in painting the font cover at St Margaret’s. Jessie painted the existing wooden cover to a design by her father. The lettering around the rim says, ‘God hath given to us eternal life and this life is in his son’. Each segment is painted with a bird or butterfly on a mid-blue ground with gilding. This is the only known example of Jack’s daughter helping him with his decorative schemes. Sadly, his work at St Margaret’s was one of Jack’s last commissions, he died in December 1931.

From 29th April to 29th July 2006, the William Morris Gallery held the first exhibition solely devoted to George Jack. His name is familiar to many who are interested in Morris but most are not fully aware of the extent of his output. The exhibition aimed to bring this important artist to greater prominence and explored all aspects of his work. Exhibits were drawn from the archive held at the Gallery, which contains designs for work in plaster, furniture, woodcarvings, embroidery, letters and photographs, and from other collections. It is also brought to light the contribution of his wife and daughters.

St Margaret’s loaned three key works for the exhibition – two of the carved wooden figures from the Youth Chapel screen (Captain Cook and Elizabeth Fry) and the Font cover. As curate at St Margaret’s at that time, I liaised with the William Morris Gallery over these loans and said that: “George Jack’s work at St Margaret’s has been much loved since Charles Winmill’s renovation at the turn of the last century which introduced many artefacts from the Arts and Crafts movement into the church. Jack’s work here demonstrates his versatility and skill as a craftsman and has great local significance as memorials to Barking’s fishing industry and links with Captain Cook and Elizabeth Fry. This exhibition will highlight an under-appreciated aspect of the significant history that can be found at St Margaret’s.”

I also arranged that, during the Barking Festival, Amy Clarke (Curator, William Morris Gallery) gave a short illustrated talk on George Jack and tour of the church showing Jack’s work at St Margaret’s.

2005/06 was a year at St Margaret's where there was a particular focus on the arts. The year began with a Christmas gift from a local artist. For some years George Emmerson had been painting the church, churchyard and the ruins of Barking Abbey and, as he left the borough, presented the church with a book of these paintings. The book is filled with watercolours set in intricately painted borders and complemented by historical information and personal reflections. It is a beautiful reminder of the history of the Abbey Green site in which St Margaret’s is located and a record of one person’s response to that history.

Lent 2005 saw the unveiling of an original painting commissioned for the Youth Chapel at St Margaret’s. Early in the morning was unveiled by the artist Alan Stewart and dedicated by the Bishop of Barking. The painting depicts Christ cooking breakfast for his disciples by Lake Galilee after his resurrection, as told in John's Gospel chapter 21. Stewart has painted a black Christ surrounded by disciples of every ethnic origin to reflect the diverse congregation that currently worships at St Margaret's. Through its lakeside setting the pastel painting also links to the stained glass window in the Youth Chapel commemorating the fishing industry in Barking.

Early in the morning was joined in the Youth Chapel by the second artistic gift St Margaret’s received in 2005/06. During a study visit to their link parish of Kristinehamn in Sweden the Church was presented with an icon of Christ blessing the children by the Norwegian painter Kjellaug Nordsjö, who is widely considered the best contemporary icon painter in Scandinavia. This icon is a window into Christ’s inclusivity and gentleness and a sign of the welcome that the Church seeks to give to all who come to St Margaret’s.

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Arvo Pärt - Silentium.

The ravaged body of Christ in the context of the AIDS crisis

Today I took an assembly at St Edward's Church of England School and Sixth Form College on the theme of yesterday's World Aids Day:

Marcus Reichert's Crucifixions have been described as being among the most disturbing painted in the 20th century. One critic said of them, 'The image of an isolated human being in the process of being annihilated by the world and his own anxiety is one that speaks to every person.’

They were painted by Reichert after a friend had died from Aids and they were first exhibited as a group as part of a touring exhibition to benefit AIDS services in the American South. Reichert said, ‘The Jesus I painted didn't have AIDS … [but] it wasn't altogether a coincidence that this ravaged body of Christ would be there in the context of the AIDS crisis.’ To understand why that may be, it is helpful to think about another painting.
   

This is the crucifixion by Matthais Grunewald, part of the many-panelled Isenheim Altarpiece, which was commissioned for the Antonite monastery at Isenheim and was intended to give support to patients in the monastic hospital. Christ appears hideous, his skin swollen and torn as a result of the flagellation and torture that He endured. Because he worked in the hospital, Grunewald based his image of suffering on the patients whose torments he witnessed. These were mostly sufferers from skin diseases, which were common at the time.

So this was a powerful image in this hospital where those suffering from skin complaints could see God entering into the same suffering that they themselves were experiencing. And that is the central meaning of the crucifixion; that God comes into the suffering and sinfulness of the world taking it onto himself so that we can be set free from suffering and sin.

As Christians, we are called to love others in the same way. Yet some churches have been unwilling to become involved in work with those affected by HIV and AIDS. Usually this is because HIV is wrongly viewed as punishment from God on individual people who engage in ungodly behaviour. In some places, people who are known to be living with HIV are not welcome in churches. However, as we have seen, Jesus came to save sinners – like us. We must show grace, love and compassion to all people with the hope that they will become open to being transformed by Jesus. Churches should be doing something positive to respond to HIV and AIDS in the light of Jesus’ commandment to ‘Love your neighbour as yourself ’ (Luke 10:27).

More than 34 million people in the world have HIV; over 22 million live in Africa. The global HIV epidemic is most keenly felt in the poorest countries of the world. 90% of new HIV infections happen in poor countries, and 7,500 people die each day as a result of HIV and related illnesses. The disease is the leading cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa with approximately 3,600 people dying every day from AIDS.

Churches and Christians are among those tackling this situation and making a difference. For example, Tearfund partner Family AIDS Caring Trust (FACT) trains church volunteers to train family members in Zimbabwe to care for sick relatives. One-to-one meetings were first held with church leaders to win their support. Once the pastors had been envisioned they invited FACT staff to speak at church services, fellowship group meetings and introduce activities on HIV and AIDS in church youth group meetings. Once awareness had been raised, invitations were sent to churches to recruit volunteers for training. Within one year 125 volunteers had received training. The home care project, which used to reach 5% of those who needed home care support, now reaches 24%.

Let us pray: Loving and caring God, thank you, for You call us to love and serve Your people and you call those who care for victims of HIV/AIDS to be healing hands in Your hurting world. You send them to show compassion, to suffer with those who suffer. Day and night they labour to comfort Your people, often neglecting their own health and families in the HIV/AIDS struggle. Forgive us when we deal lightly with the wounds of Your people. Forgive our silence. Forgive our complicity. In Your mercy forgive our condemnation of people living with HIV/AIDS. May we demand drugs for the sick. May we demand care for the abandoned. May we denounce wastefulness by the affluent. Make us instruments of Your peace. Make us agents of Your transformation. Amen.

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Elton John - Song for Guy.