Title of UFCSH talk: “Spirituality Through Art”
Sunday, June 4th 2006
Spirituality is a timeless quest that has appeared in art throughout the centuries, from the sacred realm of the illuminated manuscripts to the swirling dynamism of the Counter Reformation to the sublime landscape in the 19th century to the fleeting brushwork of the Impressionists to the color fields of abstraction. This discussion journeys throughout Europe and the United States to discover spirituality as it has influenced and has been represented by artists throughout the ages.
We begin at a point when spirituality is most recognizable in the form of illuminated manuscripts created in the monasteries during the Middle Ages, then travel to Italy and discover 16th century painter Carravaggio who guises spirituality in laymen’s clothing. Then, we unveil a view of spirituality not instantly recognizable, but is still as powerful. We look at the works of the Dutch-painter Vermeer, Rembrandt’s illuminated light, Vincent Van Gogh’s starry nights to the spiritual act of painting with Mark Rothko just after World War II.