Abbey-Roads2

And depictions of the naked Christ.

There are many Christians who have always reacted against nudity in religious art.  Throughout the ages, especially since Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel, people have complained of the nudity of the figures.  In the last several years, secular artists have portrayed Jesus naked upon the cross, and contemporary Christians have protested, as if every representation was an out of hand blasphemy.  To be sure, some of the modern representations of the naked Christ have had homo-erotic overtones, but not necessarily all of them.

The Theophany. 

From the earliest days of Christian iconography, Jesus has been portrayed naked - in situations appropriate to the narrative of course.  The nakedness of Christ was shown mainly because it became important to demonstrate, that although he was fully God, he was at the same time fully human.  It was all about the Incarnation.  Therefore, Jesus is frequently shown naked in the infancy narratives, his baptism by John, and in his passion, death, and resurrection.

I believe it may be said, that in his extreme poverty and humilty, Christ allowed himself to shown  naked.

Having said that, there is a good argument to be had for artists to be concerned for modesty when depicting Christ in art.  I say this because of how displeased God was with the son of Noah when he exposed his father’s nakedness.  “Ham saw his father’s nakedness and told his two brothers outside the tent about it.” -  Genesis 9: 18-25  Having been told this, the other two brothers approached their father, walking backwards with a cloth to hide his nakedness.  After Noah awoke, he knew what had happened and cursed his son.

You must visit Jeffrey’s blog, “Frozen Music” - he is posting Nativity scenes every day during Christmas. 

Once again - Merry Christmas to all!

Artist to the Popes.

Last week, the painter Natalia Tsarkova presented the Holy Father with his official portrait, which she had been commissioned to paint.  The highly accomplished, Russian-born artist’s portfolio includes previous formal Papal portraits and paintings, commissioned by John Paul II and the Vatican.  She has a well deserved reputation as a modern master.  I believe it is Tsarkova shown here applying the finishing touches to the portrait.

[Thanks to Fr. Ray Blake  for the photo.]

Today is the memorial of Blessed Miguel Agustin Pro, the Jesuit priest who died a martyr’s death in 1927, during the Masonic persecution of the Mexican Church.  Falsely accused of a political crime, Fr. Pro was executed by firing squad.  Go here for details on his life and photos of the saint in life and death.

It is interesting that leftists in Mexico once again seem to be threatening the Catholic Church, as well as the lives of Bishops and priests.  Today the persecution seems to be rooted in leftist opposition to Church teaching against abortion, contraception, and same-sex marriage.  Recently the Cathedral of Mexico City was closed because leftists had stormed the Cathedral  during Sunday Mass, threatening the priests and the faithful.

The above photo is a studio shot, and the only image I have of a retablo/icon style painting I did of Blessed Miquel several years ago.  Ann Ball had requested the photo for the website  dedicated to Blessed Miguel.  The painting had sold through a gallery in Santa Fe before I thought to have it professionally photographed.  I represented the saint with five bullet wounds, holding a prayer card of the Virgin of Guadalupe, his jacket over his shoulders - to emulate the Jesuit cape.  The background graffiti is inscribed with some of Fr. Pro’s last words and graffiti found in his prison cell.  The painting is more Mexican retablo than iconographic. 

Saint Rafka

Blessed Rafka, A Lebanese Maronite Nun, Canonized on June 10, 2001

“Born about the year 1832, Blessed Rafka was first known by her baptismal name Boutrossieh (Pierrette or Petronila in French). Before dying, Blessed Rafka told of her life to Sister Ursula, superior of the monastery in which she died, “There is nothing important in my life that is worthy of being recorded … my mother died when I was seven years old. After her death, my father married a second time.

When Blessed Rafka was 14 years old her stepmother wanted her to marry her brother, and her maternal aunt wanted her to marry her son. Rafka did not want to marry either of the men and this caused a great deal of discord in her family. After overhearing her stepmother and aunt exchange insults, Rafka asked God to help her deal with the problem. She then decided to become a nun and went straight to the convent of Our Lady of Liberation at Bikfaya.  This decision was not just to escape the problem of her marriage but a response to a true calling.

As Rafka recounts, “When I entered the Church I felt immense joy, inner relief and, looking at the image of the Blessed Virgin, I felt as if a voice had come from it and penetrated the most intimate part of my conscience. It said to me: You will be a nun.”  - The Eparchy of St. Maron website.

[Art:  An icon I did for the Maronite Church of the Holy Family in South St. Paul, Minnesota.  Unfortunately, it isn't a very good photo and it definitely did not scan well.]

Jeffrey Smith of Roving Medievalist  is putting on a great show as usual on his blog.  Today he posted a painting (shown above) from the Church of St. Patrick  in Toledo, Ohio.  It depicts our own Bishop John Ireland of St. Paul officiating at the dedication of the same church in 1901.  (I write from Minneapolis/St. Paul - hence the significance.) 

A different perspective. 

At California Catholic Daily  I discovered a painter whose works I have seen many times before, but never knew his name.  J. Michael Walker.  He paints images of the saints in more or less contemporary situations we are familiar with, and as every-day individuals we might recognize.  There is a realism about his work which reminds us that the saints were ordinary people, sanctified by grace.  His Madonnas convey an intimate, maternal image of Our Lady in very homely settings, appealing to our deepest childlike desire for a mama.  Within many of the scenes depicting the Madonna, there is a sense one is privy to the Virgin’s  most intimate moments, just as we approach her from the most private regions of our lives, with our most personal needs.

In a way, J. Michael Walker represents the sanctity of ordinary life - or at least the potential for sanctity - while expressing the innate dignity of the individual person occupied in the mundane minutia of daily life.  Though I wouldn’t consider his religious work to be devotional in the traditional sense, he does paint thoughtful representational interpretations of devotional figures.  And Mr. Walker  is an excellent painter. 

He recently finished a commission to paint the saints many of the streets in Los Angeles are named for.  Go here  for more information.  

[Image: Our Lady of Guadalupe, J. Michael Walker.]  

Shown: Rood screen from the restored St. Teilo’s Church. 

Roman Catholic art of the past. 

The Archbishop of Canterbury reopened a fully restored medieval church from Pontarddulais near Swansea in Wales.  It has been rebuilt, stone by stone in Cardiff as it originally stood in 1520.  Story here.

What I find so interesting is the restoration of the 16th century frescoes, which were uncovered during the dismantling of the structure.  It is an Anglican church now, yet the frescoes give us insight into the medieval art which decorated the Catholic churches of the time.

What I find most interesting, is how similar the Welsh frescoes are to the retablo art of the Spanish Colonial Southwestern United States.  The vibrant colors and somewhat naive figures seem to be strikingly similar.  I note this, because outside of Southwestern US culture, as well as collectors of Spanish Colonial art, few Catholics seem to have much appreciation for more primitive Spanish Colonial retablos and santos.  Whereas icons from the Eastern Church continue to be a “trend” in popular Catholicism.

Shown: Reredos of “Las Trampas“, New Mexico 

Perhaps the iconoclasm of the post-Vatican II Church is responsible for the great interest in Orthodox iconography, I’m not sure.  You know, people craving sacred images and decoration in otherwise barren modern churches.   Nevertheless it seems that many people have overlooked the wonderful heritage of Roman Catholic iconography which still survives in pristine condition in our own Southwest, namely in the mission churches of New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and California.

Shown:  Contemporary altar screen by Catherine Robles Shaw, Santera.

Santeros, as the artists are called who continue to paint Spanish Colonial retablos, are alive and well in the US Southwest and elsewhere in our country.  The santeros carry on the ancient tradition of painting devotional images for churches and private use.  The retablo is often painted on wood, although copper, tin and hide are also used.  It is a truly Roman Catholic art form, and as the photos above demonstrate, reveal a continuity with the medieval art of the St. Teilo’s rood screen.

For more information visit the website of New Mexico State University.

There is no accounting for taste.

I have a statue of St. Joseph in my garden.  I nestled it in the hedge, similar to how the French sometimes do in their formal gardens.  The Japanese also fit sculpture or lanterns into the landscape so they blend in with the garden.  My St. Joseph is a baroque stone carving, on a patinated concrete column.  It is rather good devotional art - but not perfect - in fact, in the photo he looks kid of ugly.

I followed a thread on Spirit Daily  about a couple who were asked to remove their statue of St. Francis  from the common area of the condo they live in.  Garden ornaments such as bird-feeders, birdbaths, and religious statuary are banned in the by-laws from common areas.  I think that is reasonable.  Most condos are like that,  they wouldn’t allow pink flamingos either.

Reverse persecution - when you make us look at your bad art.

I doubt if the motivation is anti-religious, I think it is more likely a matter of aesthetic sensibilities, in an effort to preserve  the integrity of the architecture and natural landscape of the complex.  This is reasonable, given the variety of people’s taste in art and decor.

I worked in a Church Goods store that sold some pretty hideous religious garden ”sculpture”.  One best seller series is manufactured by Space Age Plastics.  The statues need to be filled with sand and are garishly painted in bright colors.  Other companies produce concrete and resin statuary, which can be passable, yet are often sentimental and cute imitations of classical sculpture.  Then of course there are those bathtub Virgins that every non-Catholic loves to make fun of.

Religious Disneyland.

It is bad art and it is usually displayed badly.  Little plastic statues placed directly on the ground, with usually no elevation or design sense in the placement.  It’s ugly.  I know it expresses people’s devotion and that is nice, it’s still ugly.

In the northern suburbs of Minneapolis there is a large parish which has a private cemetery.  The last time I was there people had placed innumerable ugly outdoor statues and religious artifacts, along with plastic floral arrangements on the graves of their loved ones.  In addition, over the years several large stone statues have been placed around the park. It’s a mess - it looks like a carnival.  Devotion is not always a guarantee of good art, design or taste.

I wonder how many Catholics who complain of modern church architecture and ugly tabernacles actually have plastic sand-filled devotional statues in their front yards?