Perhaps the day will come when the person who studies and kisses his smartphone in church is not someone who is hooked on technology, but the pious man praying the Office well!
The Artist as Priest
Priest, Prophet and King, all of the baptized are invested in these three offices. The degree to which they fulfill these offices will depend on their individual gifts, talents, and calling.
But how, specifically does an artist fulfill the role of priest? To answer this we must first briefly examine the role of the priest and the Sacraments of the Church.
Masters Level Sacred Music Courses through NYC Seminary
Earn credit for Pontifex University's Master of Sacred Arts through St Cecilia Academy for Pastoral Musicians, Archdiocese of New York.
St Cecilia Academy of Pastoral Musicians, which is at St Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, NY offers a four-course 12 credit, Masters level certificate. Pontifex University will recognize these classes as constituting a concentration in sacred music as part of the Master of Sacred Arts program.
We recommend these courses to all pastoral musicians, whether for credit or personal enrichment in service of the Church.
Painting Workshop, Rome, August 6-17: The Methods of Caravaggio and Titian.
This summer Pontifex University is proud to sponsor a unique workshop taking place in Italy. "The Art and Theology of the Catholic Reformation in Rome", which will take place this August 6 - 17 at the Accademia Urbana delle Arti in the center of Rome. This intensive two-week/60- hour course will provide a comprehensive overview of the painting methods of artists of the Catholic Reformation and the theology that underpinned their works.
How to Choose Art for the Psalms and the Divine Office, A Summary of Past Principles
The Paintings of James Gillick at the Chelsea Flower Show - Natural Beauty!
Silver Buscuit Barrel & Tongs 294mm x 635mm (11 ¹¹/₁₆” x 25”) Oils on linen over panel
Catholic English artist James Gillick, shown below making paint with his apprentice in his studio in Lincolnshire, is exhibiting at the Chelsea Flower Show later this month, so if anyone is visiting London at this time, it would be a good chance to acquaint yourself with him and his work.
To view the new work on your device you may visit the digital, printable catalog by clicking here. To view all the new work in greater resolution you may go to his website by clicking here. The site for the show is here: Chelsea Flower Show. It takes place 21st - 26th May.
James' still lives particularly always attract me and I can't think of a better setting to view his beautiful work than the annual Flower Show which takes place in the 66-acre grounds of the Royal Chelsea Hospital which is a retirement home for Veterans founded in the 17th century.
The Wisdom of Fra Angelico
John of Fiesole (Fra Angelico),the patron of Christian artists,left us many paintings but few words. The quotes that are attributed to him, however, speak volumes.
The Hard Work of Re-Establishing an Artistic Tradition - The Neo-Coptic Icons of Dr Stephane Rene
Benedictine Experience Weekend, St Mary's Monastery, Petersham, Massachusetts, June 22-24.
As the Prophet saith: "Seven times a day I have given praise to Thee" (Ps 118[119]:164), this sacred sevenfold number will be fulfilled by us in this wise if we perform the duties of our service at the time of Lauds, Prime, Tierce, Sext, None, Vespers, and Complin; because it was of these day hours that he hath said: "Seven times a day I have given praise to Thee" (Ps 118[119]:164). For the same Prophet saith of the night watches: "At midnight I arose to confess to Thee" (Ps 118[119]:62). At these times, therefore, let us offer praise to our Creator "for the judgments of His justice;" namely, at Lauds, Prime, Tierce, Sext, None, Vespers, and Complin; and let us rise at night to praise Him (cf Ps 118[119]:164, 62). (Rule of St Benedict, Ch 16
The Praise of Men
The lure of adulation, praise, and recognition, is a tempting one. But ultimately it may lead us away from the path God has put us on. Humility is often seen as a weakness, something that keeps us from achieving all that we are capable of. But this is the wrong way to look at it. When we stop seeking the approval of others, we begin to focus our gifts and talents on pleasing God.
How to Be A Living Sign of Beauty in the Desert of Secular Culture
Catholic Formation Weekend for Young Adults, East Durham, NY, June 2-6, 2018
The Vocation of the Painter is Beauty
The Theology of Taking Your Clothes Off in Class and Painting Naked People
Contrary to what many people think, and in accordance with Christian tradition, John Paul II was conservative in his approach to the portrayal of the nude in art. He told us that it is only appropriate to portray man naked when shining the with the uncreated light of Christ. In short if we can't show man clothed in glory, show him clothed...in clothes!
What Makes Christian Art, Christian?
A Christian, who is an artist, who is well grounded in their faith, who has formed their conscience in the teachings of the Church, will produce Christian art. It doesn't matter if it is a portrait, a landscape, a superhero movie, or pop song, that artist will produce work that is consistent with teachings and values of their faith.
A "Christian Artist" is always Christian first, and then an artist, because the gift of artistic talent is the gift that has been given them to preach to the world. That does not mean that the work has to be heavy-handed in its message. It is often better if it is not.
Prominent Catholic Women Announce the Launch of HelenaDaily.com
'Mothers, grandmothers, sisters, daughters, aunts, friends - these are the basic relationships that make up our lives. And these are the places in the past where women flourished, learned from each other, supported each other, and grew into the women that God called them to be. Through births, deaths, high days and holy days, dark days and mundane days, tears and laughter, women have been there for each other. For millennia, this was simply the fabric of everyday life.'
Pagan Themes and the Christian Artist
Should a Christian artist paint themes from pagan mythology, other religions, or even fantasy motifs?
Many artists who are deeply grounded in their Christian faith, especially those just starting out in their career, have questions about what is and is not appropriate subject matter. In a previous post I addressed nudity and the Christian artist, today I would like to address subjects that don't seem to have anything to do with Christianity at all.
The story of our salvation is really the only story, and we retell it in endless variations. Even the ancient pre-Christian mythologies echo the story of Christ and His salvific role.
Think of it this way. Imagine time as a slow moving river. All of human history takes place within this river, from the first humans upstream to the present day somewhere further downstream. Each of us live out our lives in a current of this river, overlapping with others.
As humans our perception of time is linear. We look back upstream and see a sequence of events that have led us to where we are now. But God stands outside the river. God stands on the riverbank observing the passage of the stream. To God, all of our history is happening now, at different points along the river.
Work by Pontifex University Faculty Member Selected for Exhibition as Tribute to the Work of Norman Rockwell
Wearing Your Heart on Your Lapel - A Novel Way to Bear Witness to Christ
I recently did a FB photopost on my icon lapel pin, and was surprised by the positive reaction, so I decided to write a little bit more about it!
In the West, we live in a time of steadily increasing hostility towards Christianity. Famously, the late and much missed Cardinal George of the Archdiocese of Chicago, who died of cancer in 2015, summed up the situation with the following statement made several years before his death:
I expect to die in my bed, my successor will die in prison and his successor will die a martyr in the public square.
This statement caught attention at the time, but it is not quite as pessimistic a statement as some have suggested. Clearly, there is an assumption here that his successors would be as orthodox in their faith as he was in his, and so merit attack from secular forces. Some might say that in itself was optimistic to the point of foolishness! But also, he went on to say in the same statement, that after the death of the martyr bishop:
His [the martyr's] successor will pick up the shards of a ruined society and slowly help rebuild civilization, as the church has done so often in human history.
In other words, we should not lose heart, for the Church will prevail regardless of the malice of men or the devil.
I thought about this recently when I heard a homily about the need to bear witness to the Faith today. The pastor made the point that while we are not at the point yet of being persecuted for our faith in this country, it might happen in the future and it is more likely to happen if we do not stand up for the Faith now. Countering prejudice at an early stage, he suggested, can help to stop it growing into open hatred and persecution in the future. He reminded us of how blessed we are in this country, still, compared with many who live in real fear for their lives for practising their faith, especially those in some predominantly Islamic countries.
I pray that if required, I might have the courage of the martyrs through the centuries who stood up to oppression whether it be from ISIS or the Emporer Diocletian.
In the meantime, the question is what can I do here and now to play my part? How do I bear witness in such as way that people know that I am Catholic and is likely to create a positive enough impression to draw people to the Faith?
The first thing, I think, is to acknowledge my need for God's grace to be able even to begin to live up to Christian ideals.
Second is let people know that I am a Christian. I live in the San Francisco Bay area and I often hear derogatory remarks about Christians and Christianity. Wherever possible I try to respond by casually and cheerily remarking that I am Christian. Usually, that has the simple effect of halting the conversation because no longer is 'the Christian' an abstraction in their imaginations, he is a real person. And I find that even here, most people shy away from offending flesh-and-blood people standing in front of them.
In his sermon, our pastor (at St Elias Melkite Catholic Church) suggested one simple way of discreetly but visibly making such a statement would be to wear a cross. He said that it would arouse curiosity and people would ask what it was. It would also, he suggested, give us the motivation to be better Christians because we are so clearly identifying ourselves with the Faith.
I have bought one and wear it, but I'll admit it sits under my shirt, only sometimes visible when I have an open-necked shirt. A necklace or medallion is not something that I would ordinarily wear and I don't feel absolutely comfortable with it. I decided to do something different that felt more natural to me. I found a company online that makes personalized lapel pins and so asked them to create some for me based on the Holy Face. I sent them a jpeg of the following icon:
When the batch came (I had to order 100) they looked like this:
Already, people have asked about it, and one even asked where I go to church, so I gave her a St Elias Melkite Catholic Church business card (which the pastor had printed up and encouraged us to have in our wallets, just in case!). I also see many people looking at it when I wear it although most do not say anything. Nevertheless, I am pleased about this because I feel that I have made a statement without saying anything in a way that I feel comfortable with.
I might be wrong, but I don't feel I am the sort whose natural gifts extend to being able to attract people to the Faith by standing on a soapbox and preaching on a street corner to passers-by; or by wearing a sandwich board that says: 'The End is Nigh' - as a man used to do for years in Liverpool city center when I was growing up in the 1960s and 70s.
Perhaps I am less courageous than this man. But a lapel pin is my way of being in-your-face with the Holy Face, while not looking as though that's what I'm trying to do. It was easy enough to do - you could easily create your own if you have a jpeg file of an image you like.
I am curious to hear from readers. Do you have any ways that tell people you are Christian without putting people off? I'd love to hear about what you do and the reactions you get. This is probably something that would appeal more to men than women, so what might women do alternatively?
Meanwhile, I am still waiting for someone to come up and incense my jacket...perhaps one day, you never know.
Is Nudity Appropriate in Christian Art?
Nudity has long been a staple of fine art, but many people feel it is inappropriate for an artist who is also a faithful Christian to portray nudity in their work.
Is it? The answer, as is so often the case in matters of faith and morals, is - it depends.
To modern sensibilities art is decoration. Usually, we are not called upon to look past the surface of what is presented. And so we focus on the external, that which we can see.
But creation consists of what we can see and what we cannot see, the visible and the invisible. It is the role of the artist to create work that draws us past the surface, what we can see, to contemplate the transcendent truth that is presented to us, that which we cannot see.
