Christianity in Britain
Part 3
Follow the star
Signs and Symbols
| The Belief File Christianity in Britain Part 3 Follow the starSigns and Symbols |
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In the programme, Sister Anthony Wilson, designer of many of the embroidered hangings in the Metropolitan Cathedral in Liverpool, says about religious art, 'It’s a very old tradition in the Church going right back to the eighth century. Pictorial representation does for people who cannot read or write what reading and writing does for the learned. OK we can all read and write nowadays, but I think there is still a way of raising people’s hearts and minds to God through art.' | |
 'Marriage in Cana'. Click on the image to view the full size picture and to see further detailed extracts in 'The Gallery' |
For hundreds of years artists have been using their skills to uplift and remind Christians of their faith. If you go into many parish churches or art galleries you can see religious pictures or sculptures many of them now valuable. |
Some Christian denominations have more religious images than others. Certain groups today may perhaps confine themselves to a line or two of scripture on the walls. | |
| Great religious paintings usually take a story from the Bible maybe the birth of Jesus or the Crucifixion - as their subject matter, and artists often used real people as models for people in the pictures. Sometimes the patron or person who commissioned the painting had themselves painted into it, maybe it was a way of letting those who looked at it know about their Christianity, not to mention their wealth! | |
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Following in this tradition, a Roman Catholic Church in Bristol commissioned the Filipino artist, Raymond Gaston, to paint six pictures for their church. He based them on stories in the New Testament. The picture above is a segment from the 'Marriage in Cana' which depicts the miracle of changing the water into wine. You can find out more about the picture, and the miracle, below.   The feature 'They call it Easter' also includes some fine paintings of New Testament scenes. | |
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