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Monday, 5 June 2023

Artlyst: The Art Diary June 2023

My June diary for Artlyst has been published with mentions of exhibitions at Pallant House (Gwen John), Wycliffe College (Marc Chagall), Teatro Peon Contreras (Louis Carreon), City Art Centre (Peter Howson), Ben Uri (Peter Howson and Laura Knight), Laing Gallery (Pre-Raphaelites and British Impressionists), Museo Spazio Pubblica (Anna Masters), Museum of Contemporary Art (Cecilia Vicuña), Hastings Contemporary (Yun Hyong-keon), Gathering (Soojin Kang), Peterborough Cathedral (Marc Bratcher), Maureen Paley (Reverend Joyce McDonald), Ammerdown Centre (Group show):

'Gwen John's conversion to Catholicism in 1913 and its effect on her art has not yet been fully recognised, but ‘Gwen John: Art and Life in London and Paris’ at Pallant House represents another step along the way. John’s conversion meant that she searched for new methods with which to bring faith to life in her art. Art and faith were already being explored to a significant extent in Paris and, in her catalogue foreword for her solo exhibition in London in 1926, she quoted the leading modern French religious artist, Maurice Denis, who had championed the joining of art and Catholicism in experimental ways. She also admired the work of Georges Rouault, the pre-eminent Roman Catholic artist of his time, and Paul Cezanne, who sought to explore the eternal element of the Universe, the “Pater Omnipotens Aeterna Deus”. Additionally, in Meuden, where she lived, she was a neighbour to the Catholic philosopher Jacques Maritain (who regularly held study circles at his home attended by significant artists), being a close friend of his sister-in-law Véra Oumançoff.'

See also the following: Gwen John; Marc Chagall; Louis Carreon; Peter Howson; and The Pre-Raphaelites.

My other pieces for Artlyst are:

Interviews -

Monthly diary articles -

Articles/Reviews -

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Glen Hansard - Brother's Keeper.

Tuesday, 1 June 2021

Artlyst: 20th Century Women Artists Challenging Conventions In Britain

My latest article for Artlyst is about Challenging Convention at Laing Art Gallery. This exhibition spotlights four British artists working in the early 1900s – Vanessa Bell, Gwen John, Laura Knight and Dod Procter- to explore their lives and work in a climate of modernism, transformation and increasing emancipation. My interest in this article is in the differing contacts that each had within their networks with the Church and the varying forms of support they received:

'The exhibition reveals how these women challenged the conventions of their day to become respected painters, while showcasing each as an important artist in her own right ...

Each of them was embedded within a web of fellow artists and intellectuals; and made a significant impact on the profile of women artists within traditional institutions and in the public eye ...

While at the beginning of a much larger engagement between artists and the Church, the love that all these artists had for and their use of local people and the local landscape showed how the divine was part of the everyday and enabled others to sense the closeness of God to their own lives.'

My other pieces for Artlyst are:

Interviews -

Articles -

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Tracy Chapman - All That You Have Is Your Soul.

Saturday, 10 December 2016

Carols for the Animals

On Thursday at St Stephen Walbrook we hosted International Animal Rescue, recently made Charity of the Year by Justgiving, for their second service of Carols for the Animals with us.

The service included: the BATFA award winning actor and active supporter of animal charities, Peter Egan; Voxcetera, who formed in 2009 establishing themselves as a thriving chamber choir; the Massive Violins, seven cellists who play and sing their own arrangements of rock and pop classics with a bit of folk and classical music thrown in; Caroline Curtis Dolby, Chairwoman of the Fundraising Committee of International Animal Rescue; and Alan Knight, CEO of International Animal Rescue.

I shared the following reflection and prayers based on material from ASWA, James Jones and Glenn Pease:

In his birth Jesus is traditionally identified with the animal kingdom. Mary probably made it to Bethlehem riding on a donkey. Jesus was born in a space meant for the shelter of animals. He was laid in a manger meant for the feeding of animals. The first sounds he heard could well have been the sounds of animals. He was first announced to the shepherds whose whole life revolved around the care, feeding, and protection of animals. The Magi made their journey to worship Him on animals likely to have been camels. This means that “The birth of Jesus isn’t just about humans but about all of God’s creation.” (Michael Bourgeois)

The birth of Jesus and his being laid in a manger is actually a signal that the new world to come will be characterised by a very different relationship between humanity and the animal kingdom. The cradling of the Provider of Providence in a manger was a symbol that he is the One who feeds all creatures, both animal and human, and so echoes the song of Psalm 104 that ‘all creatures look to God to give them food in due season.’ As a result, our common calling is to praise our Creator WITH all creation and, as a result, all that we do now with the animal world should reflect the values of God’s coming Kingdom.

The manger is found in Bethlehem, a word meaning ‘House of Bread’, thus magnifying the symbol that God is the Provider of food for all his creatures. And the holiness of this animal’s feeding trough is magnified even further by yet another dimension. The Body of Christ is taken from his mother’s breast and then laid to rest in the manger for others to come and adore him. The Body of Christ is elevated there for all to come and worship; and to feed on him by faith and with thanksgiving. That which was designed and made to feed the animals is sanctified as it cradles the One ‘through whom and for whom all things have come into being’. The manger becomes the altar, the meeting point between God and his creatures.

For those, O Lord, the humble beasts, that bear with us the burden and heat of day, and offer their guileless lives for the well-being of humankind; and for the wild creatures, whom Thou hast made wise, strong, and beautiful, we supplicate for them Thy great tenderness of heart, for Thou hast promised to save both man and beast, and great is Thy loving kindness, O Master, Saviour of the world. Amen. (St. Basil the Great)

Almighty God, maker of all living things, in whose Fatherly wisdom we trust and depend, we remember with joy and gratitude, all your creatures, whose beauty and diversity enriches our lives beyond measure. We ask your forgiveness for the many ways in which animals are abused and exploited, through both ignorance and greed and we confess before You our part in their suffering, acknowledging the times we have remained silent, lacking the courage to speak out in their defence.
Help us, O Lord, as we endeavour to live in harmony with all Your creatures, leaving only the footprints of true discipleship upon this earth when we leave and not the deep scars of greed and exploitation. Encourage and inspire each one of us to be remembered for our simplicity of heart and generosity of spirit and for our ’oneness’ with all creation. Amen.

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The Massive Violins - All I Want For Christmas.

Saturday, 4 June 2016

Sabbatical Art Pilgrimage: Latest ArtWay report

My latest Church of the Month report for ArtWay focuses on St. Margaret’s Church, Ditchling, and Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft.

'St Margaret’s Church in Ditchling has an east window designed in 1947 by [Charles] Knight, as well as an oak screen designed by John Denman and carved by [Joseph] Cribb in memory of the artist Louis Ginnett. The font and the lettering of the Ten Commandments are also by Cribb. The gravestones of [Edward] Johnston and Cribb overlook the Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft, where examples of their work and that of Guild members are now displayed in new premises by Adam Richards Architects, shortlisted in 2014 for the ArtFund’s Museum of the Year award. “The Museum offers an accessible and evocative insight into type of craftsmanship and way of life the Ditchling Arts and Crafts community developed”'

This Church of the Month report follows on from others about Aylesford Priory, Canterbury Cathedral, Chapel of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, Hem, Chelmsford Cathedral, Coventry Cathedral, Église de Saint-Paul à Grange-Canal, Lumen, Notre Dame du Léman, Notre-Dame de Toute Grâce, Plateau d’Assy,Romont, Sint Martinuskerk Latem, St Aidan of Lindisfarne, St Alban Romford, St. Andrew Bobola Polish RC Church and St Mary the Virgin, Downe, and St Paul Goodmayes, as well as earlier reports of visits to sites associated withMarian Bohusz-Szyszko, Marc Chagall, Jean Cocteau, Antoni Gaudi and Hen r i Matisse.

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The Band - To Kingdom Come.

Friday, 4 December 2015

Carols for the Animals

Last night we hosted International Animal Rescue at St Stephen Walbrook in a celebration for all the animals this Christmas. The service featured traditional carols, the Choir of St Stephen Walbrook, mulled wine and minced pies plus readings by special guest Peter Egan (Downton Abbey). All of which made for a wonderful Christmas evening.

All the proceeds went to support the animal rescue projects of International Animal Rescue and the evening included a special presentation from Alan Knight OBE, Chief Executive of International Animal Rescue, on the orangutans in Borneo and the current forest fires emergency.

Here is the introduction, reflection and prayer that I shared as part of the service:

Welcome to St Stephen Walbrook for this special service of Carols for the Animals. I’ve been asked to begin by telling you a little about this wonderful building in which we meet and then to reflect briefly on our theme of carolling for the animals.

For over a thousand years a place of worship has stood on this site. Sir Christopher Wren’s masterpiece, the present church, is the fourth to have stood here. At the time of its building the great dome was unique in England and it was from this church that Wren developed his plans for St Paul’s Cathedral. Many distinguished men of letters and of the arts have graced the life of this place and been buried here. They include John Dunstable the composer, Sir John Vanburgh dramatist and architect and Rev’d Robert Stuart de Courcey Laffan, who with Baron Pierre de Coubertin revived the Olympic Games in 1890. Dr Chad Varah was for over 50 years the rector of St Stephen Walbrook and, among his many legacies, was the founding of Samaritans, the charity which exists that fewer people die by suicide.

Following on from the major social outreach programme involved in founding Samaritans, Chad Varah and the congregation wanted this iconic Wren building to express a theology of how they saw the gospel in relation to the world around them. That meant that the 17th century placing of the altar away from the people with the priest standing with his back to the congregation no longer expressed what they felt to be the immanent nature of the God they worshipped and served. Thus Henry Moore conceived this centrally placed altar made of travertine marble cut from the very quarry which provided the marble for Michelangelo’s work. In this way St Stephen’s was designed for people to gather as a community around the altar where God could be found at the centre. As you can see, Moore’s altar is surrounded with dazzling kneelers by the artist Patrick Heron. The opportunity for twentieth century artists and craftsmen to adorn the interior of St Stephen Walbrook came initially as a result of bomb damage in the Second World War, with that reordering being completed in the early 1980s.

All this is relevant to tonight’s Carol Service because what Christians celebrate at Christmas is God come to be with us in the person of Jesus, the babe born at Bethlehem. In Jesus, God moved into our neighbourhood, entered our world, and came to be with us by becoming one of us. That is what is symbolised by our central altar and is the reason why Jesus was called Emmanuel, which means God is with us.

The gospel according to Luke tells us that Jesus came to be with animals as well as humans. The new born Jesus was laid in a manger, which is a feeding trough for animals. So, we must imagine that there were certainly animals nearby! Jesus' first bed was an indicator of His nature and purpose. Rather than coming to earth amidst fanfare and in plush surroundings, the King of Creation and God's own Son was born among animals, with his very first visitors being lowly shepherds (caretakers of animals) from the fields.

That Jesus was born among animals is both a sign of his humility and also of his connectedness with God’s creation. Christians believe that the birth of Jesus begins a new world, a world of peace and love, a world which unites heaven and earth, a world which reflects the kind of world God originally intended; that is a world in which humans and animals live together harmoniously. So, in Isaiah we read words which it would be worth contemplating throughout this service: "The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain." (Isaiah 11:6-9)

A short poem by Ralph Hodgson says that:

'Twould ring the bells of Heaven
The wildest peal for years,
If Parson lost his senses
And people came to theirs,
And he and they together
Knelt down with angry prayers
For tamed and shabby tigers
And dancing dogs and bears,
And wretched, blind pit ponies,
And little hunted hares.

Following the injunction we are given in that poem, let us pray …

God our Heavenly Father, maker of all living creatures,

You called forth fish in the sea, birds in the air and animals on the land.

You inspired St. Francis to call all of them his brothers and sisters.

Give us the grace to see all animals as gifts from You

and to treat them with respect for they are Your creation.

We pray for all animals who are suffering as a result of our neglect.

May all be happy. May all be without disease.

May all creatures have well-being and none be in misery of any sort.

Take our heartfelt prayers and fill Your ill or suffering animals

with healing light and strength to overcome whatever weakness of body they have.

And at this special time of year, make us glad with the yearly remembrance

of the birth of your Son Jesus Christ; who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Amen.

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Steve Scott - This Sad Music.

Thursday, 5 November 2015

Carols for the Animals and Sing for Samaritans Christmas Concert

There will be two ticketed Carol concerts at St Stephen Walbrook in December. Here are the details:

Please join International Animal Rescue in a celebration for all the animals this Christmas on Thursday 3rd December at St Stephen Walbrook Church. Traditional carols, the St Stephen's Walbrook Choir, mulled wine and minced pies plus readings by special guests including Peter Egan (Downton Abbey) will all make for a wonderful Christmas evening.

Please visit the link to book your tickets http://carols4theanimals.eventbrite.co.uk

Set in one of Sir Christopher Wren's most stunning churches the evening is a chance to celebrate Christmas and the animal kingdom. Hear festive readings and special performances whilst raising money for the work of International Animal Rescue which rescues animals from cruelty and suffering around the world.

All proceeds to support the animal rescue projects of International Animal Rescue. There will be a special presentation from Alan Knight OBE, Chief Executive of International Animal Rescue on the orangutans in Borneo and the current forest fires emergency.

Please note due to the historic nature of the church it is not easily accessible for wheelchair users.

Sing for Samaritans Christmas Concert

Christmas is coming! On Friday 4th December the birthplace of Samaritans, St Stephen's, Walbrook, will play host to our inaugural Sing for Samaritans Christmas Concert. Featuring the talented London Chorus choir, the event promises to be a wonderful evening of singing, celebrating and raising money for a fantastic charity.

The London Chorus is London’s most versatile choir, practising and performing a challenging and varied repertoire and continually developing its tradition of excellence. The choir will be leading some rousing well known sing-a-long classics as well as delivering some beautiful traditional carols.

The evening will also feature readings from A Christmas Carol, read by Olivier Award winning actor, Henry Goodman.

All tickets are for unreserved seating at St Stephen's and include a complimentary drink.

Who is Central London Samaritans?

Central London Samaritans is the only support service in London open round the clock, every day of the year. Every year we receive over 100,000 calls for help. Our volunteers provide a safe space for people to talk to us about whatever's troubling them. Our callers are often distressed and experiencing despair and suicidal feelings. People call us to be heard, to work through their problems and find to positive outcomes that work for them.

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Thomas Hardy - The Oxen.

Saturday, 12 September 2009

Airbrushed from Art History (12) An addendum

Last weeks Church Times had an interesting article highlighting the support of Anglican clergy other than Walter Hussey for contemporary art over a similar period to that of Hussey.

The article focused primarily on the friendship between John Piper and Revd. Dr. Victor Kenna but also mentioned the role of Moelwyn Merchant, a parish priest, academic, and sculptor. Piper wrote that “Kenna . . . had a lasting and important influence on my life, combining as he did (and alas so few clergymen do) an understanding of the authority of the Church and the authority of form in paintings and sculpture.”

Stephen Laird writes in the article that "Kenna’s influential association with John Piper was to span 50 years. Nevertheless, the significance of their friendship has never been investigated fully by art historians, or recognised by the Church." It has only now come to light as a result of Frances Spalding’s biography of John and Myfanwy Piper (John Piper, Myfanwy Piper: Lives in art) which is being published this month.

From his obituary in The Independent comes the following about Moelwyn Merchant: "Having achieved an international reputation as Shakespeare scholar and art critic, he became Chancellor of Salisbury. There he caused a stir in the Close by accepting from his friend Barbara Hepworth the gift of a large bronze Crucifixion which he controversially had placed near the door of the cathedral. To him it was an important expression of faith by a major contemporary artist; to some conservative Salisbury residents, it was threatening and sacrilegious. Again, he relished the debate.

He took up sculpture himself in his sixties and demonstrated an instinctive sense of form which was the envy of many a trained artist. He had some 30 one-man exhibitions, dominated by his trademark challenging figures precariously balanced. In his sculpture, as in other aspects of his life, he delighted in living near the edge, in querying received wisdom, in elegantly probing the limits of orthodoxy.

As his physical strength began to wane, Merchant returned to creative writing and published no fewer than 11 volumes of prose and poetry over his final decade. Full of energy and endlessly creative, he was a constant source of ideas and insights, one of those enriching beings who make you see things in a different, clearer light."

To these can also be added Bernard Walke for his relationship with the Newlyn Artists. He persuaded Harold Knight, Norman and Alethea Garstin, Gladys Hynes, Ernest and Dod Procter and others to decorate St Hilarys Marazion.

Entering by the south door and turning eastwards, one comes to a picture of St Joan of Arc, painted by Annie Walke, which formed the reredos to an Altar to St Joan. The pictures on the chancel stalls either side were painted by Harold Knight, Gladys Hynes, Ernest Procter, Dod Procter, and Annie Walke and depict scenes from the lives of Cornish Saints. Those on the priest's stalls represent, on the south St Hilery, and on the north the dedication of the church by the Abbot and monks of St Michael's Mount. The pictures on the pulpit, the work of Ernest Procter, represent legends connected with St Neot, St Kevin and St Mawes. The reredos of The Lady Chapel represents the house of the Visitation and was painted by Ernest Proctor. A large crucifix on the north wall is the work of Phyllis Yglesias, a memorial to Canon F Rogers of Truro Cathedral who died in the parish in 1928. West of the crucifix there used to be an altar to St Francis. The reredos, still in position was painted by Roger Fry. In the south west corner of the church there is the reredos, painted by Ernest Procter, of an Altar of the Dead, built in memory of Gerard Collier who during world was one sought to find a way of peace for the world.

Walke faced opposition both for the way in which he went about this redecoration of the church and for his Catholicism. Complaints were made, court action taken, and finally the church was despoiled by protesters, who smashed the altars and other ornaments and left the church in a sad and barren state.

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Beach Boys - I Just Wasn't Made For These Times.

Monday, 17 August 2009

Annie & Bernard Walke

As a result of briefly scanning an exhibition catalogue while on holiday in Cornwall, I've discovered the following fascinating story of the artist Annie Walke and husband, the Anglo-Catholic clergyman, Bernard Walke.

Annie Walke was born in London and studied at Chelsea School of Art and at the London School of Art. She first came to Cornwall with her husband when he was curate in Polruan. Bernard, known to his friends as ‘Ber’, became Vicar of St Hilary near Marazion in 1912. He had previously worked in the East End of London and been curate of another parish in western Cornwall, an area where the Church of England had never really replaced the old Roman Catholic Church in the affections of Cornish-speaking people to whom English had come at the Reformation as an unfamiliar new language to supplant the church Latin they were used to. Thus those who had not later converted to Wesleyan Methodism tended to be Anglo-Catholic, and sympathetic to Bernard Walke’s strong feeling for ritual, drama and art.

Walke was happiest in the company of artists and ordinary working people. He persuaded such Newlyn artists as Harold Knight, Norman and Alethea Garstin, Gladys Hynes, Ernest and Dod Procter and others to decorate the church. Annie painted a picture of St Joan of Arc which formed the reredos to an Altar to St Joan. Pictures on the chancel stalls were painted by Knight, Hynes, the Procters and Annie Walke and depict scenes from the lives of Cornish Saints. The pictures on the priest's stalls represent, on the south St Hilery, and on the north the dedication of the church by the Abbot and monks of St Michael's Mount. The pictures on the pulpit are the work of Ernest Procter and represent legends connected with St Neot, St Kevin and St Mawes. The reredos in the Lady Chapel represents the house of the Visitation and the picture of the event was painted by Ernest Proctor. A large crucifix on the north wall is the work of Phyllis Yglesias, a memorial to Canon F. Rogers of Truro Cathedral who died in the parish in 1928. West of the crucifix is a reredos painted by Roger Fry. In the south west corner of the church is a reredos, painted by Ernest Procter, of an Altar of the Dead, built in memory of Gerard Collier who during world was one sought to find a way of peace for the world.

Walke studied the speech of the working people of the parish - farmers, tin-miners, fishermen, the postman - and wrote religious plays in local dialect for local people to perform in the church. St Hilary gained nation-wide fame when he wrote and directed a Christmas Play Bethlehem. Through his friendship with media man, Filson Young, broadcasts were made of this and others, in the tradition of medieval Mystery Plays, all written and devised by Walke and performed by the people of St Hilary. Bethlehem went on the air for the first time on 22 December 1926.

It was a milestone in regional broadcasting. Reith took the unusual step of telephoning the vicarage at St Hilary afterwards to say that he had been listening with Ramsay MacDonald (leader of the Labour party) and that both had been deeply moved. This was in the early days of broadcasting and Walke was able to put over a lot of Catholic teaching as listeners all over the country were charmed by these Cornish voices proclaiming Christ’s life. These became a feature of broadcasting in the 1920s and 30s, but unfortunately there had to be a tragic end.

The fame of St Hilary drew a nasty reaction. Various people with a grudge were determined to destroy this beautiful little shrine to Catholic devotion in Cornwall, where his wife and their artistic friends had painted murals and altarpieces and pictures. Complaints were made, court action taken, and finally the Protestant element broke into the church with axes, crowbars and hammers, smashing and defiling everything they could lay their hands on. Walke was only just able to retrieve the Blessed Sacrament and take it to his home to prevent the ultimate sacrilege. This was in 1932 and he was absolutely shattered.

Walke described these events in his memoir, Twenty Years at St Hilary, published originally in 1935. It is a tribute to its value that it now has a third re-issue, putting it in the category of a classic. Michael Farrer, President of the Anglo-Catholic History Society, writes that "it is the autobiographical memoir of a remarkable and fascinating priest, who began as a curate at Polruan near Fowey and moved to St Hilary, Marazion, near Penzance in 1912. He wrote this memoir while in a sanatorium, being treated for tuberculosis. He shows no real bitterness in his book, and through all his struggles, he comes over as a happy man. One is left with the sense of a character it would have been a delight to have known."

The Royal Cornwall Museum's collection includes work by Cornish artists and artists living in Cornwall, particularly from the Newlyn and St Ives Schools. These include large works by Annie Walke.

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Jack Clemo - The Broadening Spring.