The Nakedness of Our Condition

~ The bishop holds him      like a child ~ And in his nakedness   we see our own condition ~ Without impressiveness without pretence ~ Open   to grace. ~ This poem takes its inspiration from the moment in St. Francis of Assisi's life when he renounced his father dramatically by literally stripping off all his clothes …

A Year of Inspirers (7) – Michelangelo’s Vision of Humanity

The Sistine Chapel is one of the wonders of human art that is so hard to comprehend. How could one man create such a complex vision of human life? If you look just below the centre, you will see an image which often feature. It is the creation of humanity: Just below this you will …

Encountering an Angel

I find this one of the most beautiful paintings ever painted. Maybe it is the sheer beauty of the angel - the beautiful gold of his wings, his halo, his glowing hair, the beauty of his whole attire, and the glorious rays of light that spring from his body: He has an urgency about him, …

Battling with the Dragons Within

In this beautiful painting by Altdorfer, it is easy to miss St. George and the dragon! We are first struck by the dense, dark forest - perhaps an image of the unconscious? Altdorfer shows us a traditional subject in a very untraditional way. There is no princess being rescued. There is a very hidden, private …

Spanning The Stillness

This is a very green painting – but what infinitely varied hues and shades of green! The trees in the background shine in sunlight, though there are also some of the darkest shadows of the whole painting to be found there, too. The bridge, in its solid symmetry majestically spans from left to right, where …

Looking Beyond (9) – Towards Eternity

There is a beautiful, haunting poem by Emily Dickinson which ends like this: Since then – 'tis Centuries – and yetFeels shorter than the DayI first surmised the Horses' HeadsWere toward Eternity –'Because I Could Not Stop For Death', Emily Dickinson She imagines taking a journey. Death is in the carriage with her, and at …

Inspiring Paintings: In the Snow

There is something very wonderful about this painting, but it's hard to put your finger on it. In fact there are lots of very wonderful things! Firstly, the beautiful bird, soaring in the space between the foregrounds trees and the distant mountains. What depth it creates for us! What a sense of freedom! Under the …

Spiritual Reflection – To Know the Power of Love

What would it feel like to know you were fully and totally loved? Some of us think of romantic love in this way. We think of a special person we can love fully, and who will fully love us. This painting is about love, though you might not think so at first. "Baptism of Christ', …

Icon (3)

. The erosions of time drip like tears . The past barely comes down to us at all but is always being worn away before our eyes . Worshippers have travelled and prayed for centuries . Through this image  lives have been transformed . So the boy who stares out so boldly is not worn …

Inspiring Paintings: “The Soul In Ecstasy” (Bellini)

. The soul In ecstasy .  At a living World  . Speaking Joy . Returning Prayers .  To God Identified .  Through nature And living word. . 'St. Francis in Ecstasy', Bellini