Cotton to Gold

Cotton to Gold, which ends tomorrow, is the fourth exhibition in the hugely successful Winter Exhibition Programme at Two Temple Place.

The magnificent and eccentric mansion has been transformed into a casket for the exquisite treasures of an extraordinary group of Lancashire magnates. As the cotton mills boomed, bringing development and deprivation hand in hand, this group of prominent industrialists privately, and sometimes secretively, poured their wealth into some of the finest and most astonishing collections in the country. Exceedingly rare Roman coins, priceless medieval manuscripts, Turner watercolours, Tiffany glass, Japanese prints, Byzantine icons, ivory sculptures and even preserved beetles and a Peruvian mummy.

For me, the highlights were the Books of Hours, the collection of icons, works by Blake, Hokusai, Millais and Turner.

As Claudia Pritchard notes in her review in The Independent:

'Religion was as much a driving force as mechanisation for some collectors, who engaged in posthumous philanthropy, perhaps storing up treasures in heaven by dispersing their treasures on earth. [Robert Edward] Hart, however, valued printed and handwritten books important to many faiths, demonstrating a perhaps unexpected religious inclusiveness and tolerance. So, as well as his Christian Book of Hours, with its jewel-like illuminations, the exhibition will include his precious copies of the Koran, a Jewish Torah scroll and other sacred texts. Hart’s own religious convictions were put into practice with the establishment of an orphanage in Blackburn that was the foundation of today’s Child Action Northwest, a charity caring for vulnerable children in the Blackburn area.'
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell - Dreaming My Dreams.

Churches can survive and thrive in changing and challenging times

The Evens Evening at St John's Seven Kings, which was my farewell event in the parish, was a very special evening for us as a family. I gave a presentation of the recent East London Three Faiths Forum Tour of the Holy Land, there was a delicious bring and share supper, and there were words of thanks and presentations to Christine and I.

Here is the speech I gave at the end of the evening:

St John’s is a diverse and busy church in a diverse and changing area. This makes it an interesting and dynamic place to be. When that is combined with committed, caring and creative people in the congregation and community, the parish provides opportunities for ministry which is engaged and engaging, innovative and traditional, memorable and mundane.

Over the past eight years together we have: celebrated anniversaries (Contact Centre, Mothers’ Union, 110 years of the Church); been inspired by the examples of those no longer with us such as Dorothy Hart, Doreen Gullett, John Toll and Barbara Trump among others; maintained our work with children and young people; drawn new people into ministry in services and leadership; welcomed new people into the congregation as a result of our community engagement, the occasional offices of baptisms, funerals and weddings, and through people moving into the area; contributed to successful community campaigns for much needed local facilities; organised art exhibitions, bazaars, community information events, concerts, light opera performances, literary panels, a Praise Party, a wide range of social & fundraising events, table-top sales and a talent show; supported the setting up the Sophia Hub social enterprise support service; worked closely and well with our friends in the Seven Kings Fellowship of Churches and the local cluster of Anglican churches; and expanded the range of community groups using the Parish Centre.

As a result of this shared missional activity, St John’s is well known in the borough as a well used and well loved community hub; a church that is open, welcoming, engaged and engaging. We have achieved this together in a challenging context for the borough’s churches which results from the changing demographics in the area. The multi-faith nature of this parish means that Christianity is becoming numerically a minority faith in the area bringing significant challenges for maintaining church buildings and congregations as a result. While understandably, but unhelpfully, this can result in a defensive attitude developing among Christians, overall at St John’s we have been open to engagement and dialogue with our neighbours of other faiths through our support of Faith Forum and Three Faiths Forum events and the work of the Sophia Hub and Scriptural Reasoning group. In addition, although there has been resistance, we have faced up to the changes needed to address the financial issues which arise from the challenge provided by changing demographics and have worked our way together to a place of renewed financial viability. We are, therefore, an example of how churches can survive and thrive in changing and challenging times and locations.

None of this has been achieved without debate and stress, conflict and challenge both for you and for me. All of this – continuity, change and challenge – has contributed to the ministry we have done and the foundation for the future which has been laid.

St John’s will be a hugely interesting and attractive parish in which someone new can minister. It has been a privilege for me to be your minister for the past eight years, to get to know and grow in friendship with you all, to face the challenges and take on the opportunities of this area, and most of all to do ministry together; to share in activities which benefit the local community, bring diverse groups together, develop understanding and community cohesion, bring people to Christian faith and to a deepening of their faith.

Thank you for the opportunity to have been part of all this together with you. Thank you for all that each one of you contributes to the ongoing mission and ministry of St John’s. Thank you because of the impact that that ministry has individually and overall. Thank you for all that I have learnt and for all the ways that I have developed and grown through being here. Thank you to all those who have shared ministry and leadership with me here and thank you to all those who given me particular support, help and encouragement in the time that I have been here. I pray for God’s continued rich and deep blessing on you as individuals, congregation, church, parish and community.   

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bernadette Farrell - Christ Be Our Light.

Sabbatical art pilgrimage: St Nicholas Paphos

Saint Nicholas Church in Kato Paphos was opened during August 2013 by the Bishop of Paphos. It has been described as being a ‘captivating new Church’ which is modelled on the churches of the Greek Islands with their blue domes and white walls.’ It has a piazza which ‘stretches down to sandy shores and the azure blue Mediterranean sea.’ Some of the best sunsets in Cyprus can be captured here. ‘Inside it is richly furnished, finished with beautiful hand painted icons, solid oak iconostasis, and furniture. The walls are white, and the floor marble inlay, and a cool and restful ambience is felt within’.

The interior of Orthodox churches, such as St Nicholas and others that I visited during my sabbatical art pilgrimage, with their iconostasis and many icons, has a history which stretches back to the Early Church:

'Icons constitute a part of Christian painting. They do not stand for its beginning for they were preceded by pictures of a different kind, concerned with symbols and with scenes of symbolic significance appearing in the catacombs and on the sarcophagi, as well as on small-scale works, and later - after the era of persecution - by extensive cycles of pictures, illustrating the scriptures and the lives and sufferings of individual martyrs ...

Where they were not used purely as decoration, they were intended for educational purposes; they were a kind of biblia pauperum, a Bible of the poor, representing a selection of important biblical events, made comprehensible through the language of pictures ...

As the belief in the active character of ... pictures increase ... Veneration of them grew at the same time as their power to perform ... miracles increased. Candles and incense were offered to them, and they were kissed, washed, anointed ...

in the year 726 ... the Byzantine Emperor Leo III began to attack icons, and a few years later to proceed with the whole authority of the state against all figurative religious art and those who venerated such things. This was the start of the age of Iconoclasm ...

The theological problem ... was decided in theory at the Seventh Ecumenical Council at Nicea in 747 ...

St John of Damascus ... though he did not live to see the Council ... prepared for the supporters of iconography the arguments with which they were to achieve victory at a later date. Of the nature of pictures he says: "A picture is a semblance, representing the original likeness in such a way that there still persists a difference between them." By saying this, he obviated any reproach that the veneration of pictures was idolatry. St John also quoted repeatedly a saying of Basil the Great, and used it to refute further the reproach: "The veneration shown to the icon devolves upon the prototype which it represents." The picture is, however, also a "semblance of something, a representation or copy, indicating the objects copied." Because of this resemblance the prototype is closely bound up in a spiritual sense with its representation, an association which Theodore the Studite circumscribed as follows:

“Just as to the seal belongs its impression, to each body its shadow, so to each prototype is its representation." According to Dionysius the Aeropagite the picture is merely a reflection of the invisible, but the contemplation of this visible reflection can raise us to a conception of the divine invisible’ (Heinz Skrobucha, Icons, Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh & London, 1963).

The history of the Church in Cyprus is even older than that of the icons found within it: 'The church of Paphos was founded by the Apostles Paul and Barnabas in A.D. 46. It was later organised by the Apostle Barnabas and St Heracledius.' Paphos was destroyed and rebuilt on more than one occasion as a result of earthquakes and conquests. As a result, the first figurative images to be preserved are 'figurative representations of the floors of the Paphos Basilicas at the end of the fourth century.'

At the 'end of the ninth century the church of St Paraskevi was built in Yeroskipou where wall-paintings of the tenth and eleventh century are preserved. During the twelfth century part of St Paraskevi church in Yeroskipou was repainted, while in 1183 St Neophytos the Recluse, who had lived in the cave of Encleistra since 1159, had the Encleistra painted.'  Theodore Apseudes was the artist who undertook this work for him, although the wonderful paintings which can be seen today at the Monastery of Agios Neophytos actually date from the time of St Neophytos' successor, Isaias.

'The icons in the Byzantine Museum in Paphos, dated from the end of the twelfth century to the beginning of the nineteenth century, indisputably express the religious faith of the Paphomions and enlighten us about the high artistic quality of times past.

The productivity of icon painting is evident from the great number of icons originating in the Paphos area' (Byzantine Museum, Holy See of Paphos, 1987).

Ten painters, including Theodore Apseudes, are known by name out of the many who have painted icons in the area up to the beginning of the nineteenth century.

Iconographer Aidan Hart has argued that ‘the characteristic feature of last century’s iconography, world-wide, is a shift from a somewhat decadent, sentimental style back to traditional models.’ Although there were scholarly and social influences helping to effect this revival, he suggests, the return to the actual painting of traditional icons was initiated by just a few iconographers.

He writes that, ‘The revival of traditional iconography in Greece is mainly attributable to Photius Kontoglou, who actively used his abilities as a painter, scholar and writer to promote the cause.’

In Russia Hart writes: "From the 1930’s, a secret nun named Sister Yuliania (Maria Nikolia Sakalova in the world) was secretly painting icons based on the recently restored medieval icons. Immediately after Stalin officially recognised the Church in 1944, St Sergius’ Lavra was re-established and with it a seminary and academy. Here Sister Juliania immediately began teaching iconography and restoration to seminarians and monks, and continued to do so until her death in the 1970’s. Hers was the first official academy of iconography in communist Russia and to her is primarily due the restoration in Russia of traditional iconography … More recently, Archimandrite Zenon has become among the most famous of Russian iconographers. His characteristic feature, at least since the latter 1980’s, has been the choice of inspiration from the Middle Byzantine Era (ninth to thirteenth centuries) rather than Russian models.’

Hart writes of Leonid Ouspensky and Fr. Gregory Kroug that few Orthodox "need an introduction to these two painters, particularly perhaps Ouspensky: "Leonid Ouspensky is known mainly through the many pupils whom he has tutored in Paris, and through his books "The Meaning of Icons", written jointly with Vladimir Lossky, and "The Theology of the Icon", now available in expanded form in two volumes … Among Ouspensky’s best known pupils is the American, Thomas Doolan, now the monk Father Simonas. In our own country [UK] another pupil, Mariamna Fortunatto, is known for her teaching the art of iconography … The other key figure for the Russian tradition in Europe is Fr. Gregory Krug, who lived also in Paris and often worked with Ouspensky.’

Juha Malmisalo, in Pursuit of the Genuine Christian Image, has written about the revival of icon in Lutheran churches, with a specific focus on the work and influence of ErlandForsberg: ‘Forsberg’s teacher, Uniat Father de Caluwé, is understood as the inheritor of a tradition carried on by the Old Belief Confessors Gavriíl Frolóv and Pimen Sofronov … the chain … through the Old Belief Confessors, the keepers of the original tradition ... proceeds to the Uniat Father and on to the Lutheran Erland Forsberg, to Kjellaug Nordsjö, and to Lars Gerdmar, who uses Forsberg’s name as a means of legitimization.’

In Great Britain Hart suggests that virtually all Orthodox iconographers have been working in the Russian tradition: ‘Mention could be made of Fr. David of Walsingham, perhaps known most for his icons of British saints, and his pupil, Leon Liddament. We have already mentioned Mariamna Fortunatto, whose teaching on the theology and the practice of icon-painting has been of great service over the past decades. Although I do not know her work personally, I understand that Matushka Patsy Fostiropolos is busy. The nuns of the Monastery of St John the Baptist in Essex have under the inspiration of Father Sophrony been producing for fifteen years portable icons, frescoes, mosaics, carvings, enamels and embroidery. And then there are numerous other iconographers in various stages of development painting as much as their family or work commitments allow ... Sergei Fyodorov, a pupil of Fr. Zenon, has become well known through his commissions for Anglican and Catholic cathedrals and abbeys.’

In 2007 the Wallspace gallery gathered together 15 contemporary, traditional iconographers who live and work in the UK for what was believed to be the first exhibition of its kind. Epiphany included works by some of the best current practitioners of traditional iconography, including: Matushka Patricia Fostiropoulos, Aidan Hart, Dr Guillem Ramos-Poqui, Dr Stéphane René, Silvia Dimitrova, Sister Petra Clare, Sister Nadejda (Owiny), Sister Esther (Pollak), and The Revd Regan O'Callaghan. Peter Murphy, whose work I saw at Tewkesbury Abbey, could also be added to this list.

In Cyprus itself, Stavrouvouni Monastery has been a centre of spirituality and worship in Cyprus over the last century with a long tradition in icon painting and frescoes. Its most famous icon painter monk is Father Kallinikos. 'The milestones in the life of Father Kallinikos include his apprenticeship to Ioannikios Mavropoulos, his three-year long imprisonment during the liberation struggle of EOKA from 1955 until 1959 and his apprenticeship to icon painter Fotis Kontoglou.' Father Kallinikos writes icons using the encaustic technique, or using egg tempera on wood, or using oil.

George Kepolas has brought the old tradition of Byzantine Mosaic Art back to life and with his brother Alkis, brought hagiography into the 21 century as well. Hagiography, literally the “writing of the saints” has a long history, and includes the painting of icons and of course Mosaic Art. In 1984 George Kepolas established, together with his brother Alkis and his associate Nicos Christodoulides, the Icon Painting and Mosaics Workshop.

Dionisiy Kouznetsov became 'a novice at the monastery at the St. Panteleimon Monastery on the Holy Mount  Athos in Moscow' before he was 'sent to the Monastery of St. Neophyte in Cyprus'. A 'local icon painter Charalambous, at Strumbi village' gave Dionisiy his first lessons in icon painting'. 'Later he met Nikita, another icon painter from Paphos'. 'Father Kallinikos from Stavrovouni Monastery has also taught him'. He painted many  icons and frescos in Cypriot churches. He has worked with Father Amvrosiy, the monk of St. Seraphim of Sarov monastery in Evrychou village. 'Initially Dionisiy combined the Russian technique with the Venetian or “anagenisi” of the 15 - 16th century. The painter is now changing his technique to the Byzantine one, which is close to the 12th century'.

George Goutsev was born in Bulgaria but works in Cyprus. He works 'under the influence of the magnificent mosaics of Ravenna (Italy), of Istanbul (Turkey), the icons in Bethlehem (Israel) and the murals and the icons from 16th century in the Monastery of Stavronikita, located in the Holy Mountain, Greece.' . Evangelia Psaltakis also creates beautiful icons in Cyprus. 

Hart concludes: ‘We can characterise twentieth century iconography first, by a return to traditional models in the Orthodox countries, and second, by the reintroduction of the icon tradition itself to the west. Though we might regret icons being bought and sold as art objects on the commercial market, at least this process, along with often secular scholarship, has brought the icon tradition and Orthodoxy in general much more into the western public consciousness. Icons have a life of themselves, independent of the reasons people might buy or sell them.

Thirdly, and I think this is what concerns us most, there was and is still, a growing feeling that in fact we might not have returned to the tradition as much as we thought we had. Having effectively lost the tradition, we are finding that it is not so easy to regain it in all its subtlety and profundity. We need to dig deeper still, to understand the icon’s timeless principles so that new icons can be more authentic, can go beyond the extremes of fearful copying and impatience “to do one’s own thing” before humbly imbibing the tradition.’

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

John Tavener - Ikon Of The Nativity.

Service of Rejoicing and Thanksgiving for the life of Dorothy Hart

On Saturday 20th April (11.00am) St John's Seven Kings will hold a Service of Rejoicing and Thanksgiving for the life of Dorothy Hart. Dorothy, who had recently celebrated her 90th birthday, died on 8th April 2013.

In her late 40s, while she was herself recovering from cancer, she met the Rev. Peter Hudson and became involved with the creation of Redbridge Community Care, now known as Redbridge Voluntary Care.

Redbridge Voluntary Care was established 40 years ago to provide a ‘good neighbour’ service helping residents when they have no one else to turn to. A broad range of help is available through Redbridge Voluntary Care including transport to hospital, clinics, etc, emergency shopping, light help in the home and visiting those who are housebound. Volunteers are on duty 24 hours a day, every day of the year, to make sure there is always someone on the phone who can help if necessary. This can also include collecting prescriptions, shopping, visiting lonely residents and providing transport. Once a year, they also take 100 elderly house-bound residents on a drive through the Essex countryside.

In 2011 the organisation was presented with the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service in recognition of outstanding voluntary contributions judged to be of the highest standard. Dorothy, as Vice President of Redbridge Voluntary Care, attended Award ceremonies at Buckingham Palace and James Hawkey Hall. When she accepted the Award on behalf of the organisation Dorothy said, “We are very touched to receive this award. Over the years we’ve worked with some unbelievably kind volunteers who go to great lengths to help people in their time of need. If more people came along to volunteer as result of this it would be wonderful.”

Dorothy was also a long-term member of St John's Seven Kings. She became a Sunday School teacher at the age of 17 and was a member of the Mothers' Union branch, volunteering in the Contact Centre which the branch has run for more that 20 years. She taught in the borough and her two children were involved in Redbridge Music School and Youth Orchestra, going on to become, respectively, a professional composer and musician  and a music therapist pioneering music therapy in France.

Music will feature significantly in the service, as Dorothy's home was always filled with music while her children were growing up. The Service will include performances by Dorothy's children and grandchildren of: Etoile Radieuse du Matin; Berceuse from The Dolly Suite by Gabriel Fauré; Roses Are Blooming In Picardy; Clair de Lune by Claude Debussy; and Sweet Georgia Brown. 

In sharing the eulogy prepared by the family, I will say, "As anyone who knew Dorothy can testify, she offered up her love to every person with whom she crossed paths, somehow managing to make each and every one of them feel special. She was the archetype of a good neighbour. No matter what their creed, colour, age or background, she made a point of letting others know she was there if they needed her. Her example, in turn, inspired goodness in others. If everyone in the world could take just one leaf out of her book, the world would truly be a better place."

During the service I will also be saying that the "most fitting tribute to her memory is to be inspired to follow in her footsteps by living Christ-like lives ourselves whether by volunteering with Redbridge Voluntary Care – and she particularly wanted this service to encourage new recruits – or in some other way of our own choosing."

Anyone interested in volunteering for Redbridge Voluntary Care Service or wanting to request their help, can call 020 8514 0980.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Paul Hart - Cartoon.

Airbrushed from Art History: Henk Krijger

Henk Krijger was part of two significant art networks:

"Krijger was not alone in his criticisms of the Reformed tradition. During the summer of 1935 he met the christian poet Hein de Bruin. This man, too, felt a burden on his heart for the christian community of which he was a member. This community choked the life out its artistic members with theological debate and with demands for dogmatic orthodoxy. These two men were not alone as christian artists. They in turn were part of a larger group, a group of christian writers, W.G. van der Hulst, Anne de Vries, and Jan H. de Groot. Since the early nineteen hundreds there had been a christian writers association. Within this group there was much debate about the nature of christian art, the possibility of a christian artistic style, and the relationship between the christian artist, the church, and the world. Those who maintained the antithesis [that Christians were to cultivate a lifestyle of their own] said there should be a christian style and, of course, those who disagreed claimed otherwise ...

Following the war Krijger joined the christian writers association. As member of the association he wrote short stories, reviews of art exhibitions and essays for their journal, Ontmoeting. He also published a novel entitled De Witte Duiven. in the visual arts he worked freelance and as a bookdesigner. As bookdesigner he won several prizes for his outstanding work."

"September 1969 the Institute for Christian Art opened in Chicago, Illinois not as an art school but as an organisation that brought trained or accomplished artists together under a master-artist to work christianly in the arts. This arrangement was modelled along the lines of a medieval guild. It was thought that a workshop would facilitate a communal effort in the arts which was considered vital if a christian artistic presence was to be attained in a predominantly secular culture ...

When Henk Krijger was approached by Calvin Seerveld and Mary Steenland, he ... wanted to do 'free art,' unencumbered by patrons and the limits of commissions. The Institute of Christian Art offered [this] opportunity ...

Speaking out of his Dutch Calvinist upbringing, Henk Krijger believed that art was done in the service of God and His Kingdom, but he was not dogmatic about its content. It certainly was not limited to scenes from the Bible nor was it to be primarily dogmatically correct. It was to be good art; art that was informed by the formal elements and principles that govern the production of art. Therefore, according to Krijger, the christian artist was to be a competent craftsman; a craftsman who did not just copy the natural world (for that was plagiarizing God's work) but who created works of imagination."

"In the summer 1971 the Institute of Christian Art moved ... to downtown Toronto, Canada. A core of young artists moved with Henk to studios set up in a basement on Richmond Street, and with the indefatigable efforts of Willem Hart they became Patmos Workshop and Gallery ... [Krijger] followed up the major painting of The Annunciation (1971) with other works truly worthy of the name "Patmos" - visionary, troubled, complicatedly in the world but not of it."

"Krijger's art making demonstrates specific directives helpful for developing young artists. First, as a pre-war modern man, Krijger understood and worked within his location in history. His choice of a modern expressionistic form provided the format for his visual discussion of creation. Second, a play of the imagination permeates Krijger's artistry. His emphasis upon the intuitive and the emotive allowed his imagination to inventively conceive imagery as we observe, for example, in the works That night the moon was completely different (1970) and the Apocalyptic fluteplayer (1971). And third, he understood well the struggle of the Christian who saw his calling to be that of artist. He served God in his art making. Tragically, he enjoyed neither the strong support of his christian community nor the support of those in his contemporary artistic environment."

(Jan De Bree, Calvin Seervald and Mary Leigh Morbey in Hommage á Senggih: A Retrospective of Henk Krijger in North America)

Artists exhibiting at the Patmos Gallery have included: Larry Ackerman, David Alexander, Nancy de Boni, Anne Boyle, Klaas Hart, Willem Hart, Janis Pozzi-Johnson, Edward Kellogg, Edward Knippers, Jake Mol, Chris Stoffel Overvoorde, Wayne Peterson, Theodore Prescott, Jack S. Vander Wal.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bill Fay - Be Not So Fearful.

Matisse Chapel: Chapelle du Rosaire Vence

Henri Matisse wrote that his design and decoration of the Chapelle du Rosaire for the Dominican Nuns of Vence was not a work that he chose, but rather a work for which he was chosen by fate. The story of how this work came about is surely an example of the mysterious ways in which God sometimes moves. As a student nurse, Monique Bourgeois cared for Matisse in his recovery from intestinal cancer and modelled for four paintings. Later, after Monique had become a Dominican nun (Sister Jacques-Marie), they met again in Vence renewing their friendship which led in turn to Matisse’s offer to design and decorate a chapel for the nuns there.

For Matisse the chapel was his masterpiece and the culmination of his life’s work because it afforded him the possibility of realising his researches - his separate study of each element of construction (drawing, colour, value, composition) - by uniting them. ‘Simple colours,’ he wrote, ‘can affect the innermost feelings, their impact being all the more forceful through their simplicity.’ The spiritual expression of the blues, greens and yellows he used in the stained glass of the chapel struck him as unquestionable. His goal ‘was to find a balance between a light surface and colour with a solid wall of black-on-white line drawing.’ The line drawings on ceramic tiles of both St Dominic and the Virgin and Child he thought to have a ‘tranquil reverent nature all their own’ while the great drama of Christ in the Stations of the Cross had made ‘his impassioned spirit overflow within the Chapel.’

While Matisse approached the design of the Chapel primarily as an artistic composition it is clear he though that, by doing so, the chapel was an expression of spirituality. As he had said in a letter to Sister Jacques-Marie, he had travelled over his lifetime to admire the beauty of the light God created so he might share it with others through his work.

Iconographer Aidan Hart has spoken of this strand of Matisse's thinking in relation to his response to the icons he saw when in Russia in 1911. What he notes seems relevant to Matisse's work at the Chapelle du Rosaire. During his visit Matisse seemed deeply affected and overwhelmed by the art of the icons and spent his days frantically visiting monasteries, churches and private collections. He spoke of seeing his efforts confirmed by the ancient icon tradition and also said:

“They are really great art. I am in love with their moving simplicity which, to me, is closer and dearer than Fra Angelico. In these icons the soul of the artist who painted them opens out like a mystical flower. And from them we ought to learn how to understand art.”

Hart suggests that the chief stylistic things about icons which struck Matisse were their colour or use of light, and their conception of space:

'He saw that great art must know what to leave out; he needs to abstract to be real: “..he will have to sift rather than accumulate details, selecting for example, from all possible combinations, the line that expresses most and gives life to the drawing ...” He believed that imitating nature really means that the art object itself gives the viewer the same feeling of delight, inspiration that nature gives: ”The work will then appear as fertile and as possessed of the same power to thrill, the same resplendent beauty as we find in the works of nature.” He said that ultimately “great love is needed to achieve this effect ... This love, which is necessary for artistic creation, has a divine aspect: Nothing is more gentle than love, nothing stronger, nothing higher, nothing larger, nothing more pleasant, nothing more complete, nothing better in heaven or on earth—because love is born of God and cannot rest other than in God, above all living beings."'

Vence is a hill town 20 miles from Nice and the Chapelle du Rosaire is near the St-Jeannet road climbing out of the town towards the fine views of the Col de Vence. Set into the hillside looking back towards the town, the chapel itself affords attractive views of Vence and its surroundings. Basically, a simple white rectangle, the chapel externally offers little hint of the beauty contained within although two small line drawings on ceramic tiles decorate the entrance and sanctuary wall, while the blue and white tiled roof is surmounted by a tall metal cross, incorporating a bell, which Matisse designed to stand out against the sky rising high in prayer in a spiral-like smoke.

As tourists, we descend steep stairs to the cash desk by the chapel’s entrance - the window at the head of the stairs depicting a fish, net, and blue star is easily missed when doing so. A feisty guide then seats us in the main body of the chapel and commences telling the story of its design while indicating the main elements of Matisse’s work. Those sitting at the back are remorselessly shuffled forwards in order to see the Stations of the Cross on the rear wall and the children present are asked to report back on what can be seen through the confessional door (which recalls the Oriental hangings featured in many of Matisse’s paintings).

The talk over, most depart to view the charcoals given by Matisse to the chapel showing various stages in his design work and the vestments which he also designed. Unusually for a church, the format of the visit and talk does not seem to encourage lingering contemplation. For those who do loiter longer, the play of coloured light on the clean, white spaces of the chapel can be enjoyed as can the balance and clarity of its design. In its natural state, this is a place of light and peace negated somewhat by its rightful place on the tourist trail and this despite the rigour with which the chapel is kept as a place of worship for its own committed community.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Monkees - Pleasant Valley Sunday.

Queen's Award for Voluntary Service

Outstanding voluntary work in Redbridge was recognised yesterday as two groups - Redbridge Voluntary Care Redbridge Education and Social Welfare Support Group (known locally as AWAAZ) - were yesterday given the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service by Colonel Paul Acda TD, Deputy Lieutenant. The Deputy Lieutenant presented a certificate signed by The Queen and an exclusive commemorative crystal, to representatives of both organisations on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen and the Lord Lieutenant.

This prestigious UK National Honour, which is the equivalent of an MBE for groups of volunteers,  recognises outstanding voluntary contributions and sets the national benchmark for excellence in volunteering, with the work of those awarded being judged to be of the highest standard. Six groups in London received the award this year with a total of 130 groups awarded UK-wide.

Redbridge Voluntary Care has received the Award for providing a ‘good neighbour’ service for those with needs that cannot be met elsewhere. Established 38 years ago to provide valuable help to residents when they have no one else to turn to, a broad range of help is available through Redbridge Voluntary Care including transport to hospital, clinics, etc, emergency shopping, light help in the home and visiting those who are housebound. 

Volunteers are on duty 24 hours a day every day of the year to make sure there is always someone on the phone who can help if necessary.  This can include collecting prescriptions, shopping, visiting lonely residents and providing transport.  Once a year, they also take 100 elderly house-bound residents on a drive through the Essex Countryside. If you’re interested in volunteering for Redbridge Voluntary Care Service or would like request their help, call 020 8514 0980. 

A number of members of St. John's Seven Kings are involved with Redbridge Voluntary Care as volunteers – as drivers, visitors and offering help in the home, and as duty officers, manning the helpline telephone from their homes on a rota. Dorothy Hart, Vice President of Redbridge Voluntary Care Service, is one of those volunteers from St John's and received the award on behalf of the group.  She said, “We are very touched to receive this award.  Over the years we’ve worked with some unbelievably kind volunteers that go to great lengths to help people in their time of need.  If more people came along to volunteer as result of this it would be wonderful.”

Redbridge Education and Social Welfare support group was set up in July 2002.  It supports disadvantaged women from all backgrounds by providing activities to help them build their confidence and help to lead a healthy lifestyle.  This includes help with education, training, improving health and reducing obesity through organising activities such as dance classes, yoga, keep fit, counselling and days out.

Bushra Tahir, Chair and Founder of Redbridge Education and Social Welfare Support Group, said the group’s volunteers were thrilled to win, “We are delighted as we weren’t expecting it. All our staff are volunteers and they work very hard. They really appreciated that their work was recognised. We couldn’t have achieved it without the help of our volunteers and supporters.” If you would like to find out more about Redbridge Education and Social Welfare Support, visit http://www.awaaz.org.uk/.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Call - Everywhere I Go.