Disney-Britton

Located on the Upper West Side, on the edge of Harlem communities, The Riverside Church in the City of New York is modeled after the 13th Century gothic cathedral in Chartres, France. Its gothic tower stands as a beacon to bring people with very different perspectives together.

One of the most religiously inspired, and some say tortured, artists of the impressionist era is Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890). Before turning exclusively to a career as an artist, he tried and failed at being an art dealer and a minister. Knowing that professional chronology offers new insights into his painting, "Starry Night" (1889) where the lights in the small French town and stars above are aglow, but the lights in the chapel are dark.

The heart of every museum is its collection. In most museums, only a fraction of the collection is ever even on display which allows for a constant change for returning visitors. The Metropolitan Museum of Art has 2 million works of art in its collection. Those who maintain its collection are called "curators" and their most important role is to determine what to buy and what to sell (accession and deacession).

Two major artforms are the most representative of religious art in Mexico: retablos and ex-votos. Retablos are small, multi-paneled oil paintings on wood usually depicting either Jesus Christ or his mother Mary. They are usually placed behind the altar (hence the name). Ex-votos are paintings on tin of Saints including a testimonial of the miracle conducted and the date.

"All art is quite useless." - OSCAR WILDE

Byzantine art developed once the Roman emperor Constantine I relocated the Roman capital to the old city of  Byzantium  and rebuilt it as  Constantinople. While the art form is based on the Early Christian use of pagan symbolism (shepards and sun-god), it is more stylized and bejeweled. Byzantine mosaics, icons and statues were meant to exhibit the wealth of power of the Roman Empire.

The 52 galleries of the Vatican Museum's attract over 4 million visitors a year, covering over 2,000 years of religious art history. It was begun in the early 16th century by Pope Julius ll and this year portions of the collection are expected to travel to the USA. I'll keep my eyes and ears open.

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Ernest  Disney-Britton INDIANA---Once you reach the far rear corner of the stark Jesus Metropolitan Community Church in Indianapolis for Tony Melendez's three-piece installation, there is a pronounced sense of arrival. With twinkling brush strokes, Melendez has created shimmering portraits of biblical couples like David & Jonathon that allow the viewer to step inside his translucent dream.

PBS - View a gallery of selected details from an anthology of 36 psalms, “ I Will Wake the Dawn: Illuminated Psalms ,” by Hebrew manuscript artist Debra Band (Jewish Publication Society, 2007). In her introduction to the illuminations she writes: “Just as psalms occupy a central role in Jewish liturgy and many home and life-cycle rituals, so are they valued in the other Abrahamic religions. Islam holds the Psalms of David, known in that tradition as Zabur, among its sacred texts, although it does not incorporate them into liturgy. Psalms have formed the core of Christian prayer since its inception. ( Read All )

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS  By Tahlib Perhaps the most famous of religious painting, Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper (1495-1497) is a "mural" versus a "fresco", the common approach of the time. It is also noteworthy for its one-point perspective. The painting is 30-feet wide and is located in a modest monastery in Milan which had big ambitions.

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Tahlib And so it begins today, Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, 40 days of fasting & prayer in preparation for Easter. It is rooted in the special biblical significance assigned to the number "40" as a marker for preparation. "Moses stayed there with the Lord for 40 days and 40 nights, without eating any food or drinking any water" to get the 10 Commandments (Exodus 34:28). Elijah walked "40 days and 40 nights" to the mountain of the Lord, Mount Horeb (another name for Sinai) (I Kgs 19:8). Most importantly, Jesus fasted and prayed for "40 days and 40 nights" in the desert before He began His public ministry (Mt 4:2); and he also spent 40 days being seen by the disciples after the resurrection. (Acts 1:3).

The Cloisters of NYC is a complex built from and modeled after medieval monasteries. The visionary and monetary source behind the enterprise was Ohio native John D. Rockefeller. Owned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, its collection of over 5,000 is focused on medieval art ranging from 9th century tapestries to 15th century stained glass, and other works of art. Located in the northern end of Manhattan, it's well worth the short trip when in the city.

As far back as 200 BCE, artists in Peru were creating gigantic religious land etchings of animals (lizards, birds, etc) in the dessert. Located about 200 miles south of Lima, Peru they can only be viewed air.

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Ernest  Disney-Britton OHIO---Above the pulpit at the Center for Spiritual Living in Cincinnati is a large painting of a "V". The happy congregants all looked normal but when the pastor, a self-described "religious scientist" got up, she talked of Star Wars and Star Trek. It was Sunday morning service but at any moment I was sure someone would say, "Beam me up Scotty."

Above the pulpit at the Center for Spiritual Living in Cincinnati is a large painting of a "V". The happy congregants all looked normal but when the pastor, a self-described "religious scientist" got up, she talked of Star Wars and Star Trek. It was Sunday morning service but at any moment I was sure someone would say, "Beam me up Scotty."

"Things are only worth what you make them worth." - MOLIERE

Sandwiched between the period of Roman art and the Renaissance, the Medieval period (of roughly 1,000 years) is the time period where the artistry of the arabic tribes, islam, celtic, Germanic and Roman art melded into one (two) new western style(s): Romanesque and Gothic.

Considered by many as one of the greatest of religious artists in the Renaissance period, his patrons included the powerful Medici family of Florence. In 1481, Pope Sixtus IV invited Botticelli to paint frescoes on the wall of the Sistine Chapel. Notable work : " Adoration of the Magi " (1475)

RELIGION DISPATCHES - There seem to be two very different Vaticans these days. On one side is The Church and on the other side we have the Vatican Library and the Vatican Museums. Museums, and the libraries that birthed them, are modern institutions, after all. ( Read All )

ROADSIDE AMERICA The Last Supper by Jerry Traufler IOWA - One of the most impressive and inspiring offerings of Trinity Heights is the life-sized, beautifully carved and true to life sculpture of da Vinci’s The Last Supper. Painstakingly fashioned for seven years by world-class sculptor Jerry Traufler of Le Mars, Iowa–a devout Christian who travels extensively to visit religious shrines and has himself created a masterpiece–Traufler’s The Last Supper is a magnificent rendition of the Lord’s last meal and a work unmatched anywhere. Using hometown folks and family members as models, Mr. Traufler has created a unique and awe-inspiring work of religious art—and one of a very few life-sized depictions of The Last Supper in the entire world. One cannot look at his work and fail to conclude that the Holy Spirit worked powerfully through the hands of this devout man, who was kind enough to donate his masterpiece to Trinity Heights. The sculpture vividly brings to life The Last Supper in a ...

"Passion in Venice: Crivelli to Tintoretto and Veronese" (Feb. 2011) - A new illustrated volume exploring one of the central themes of Christian Art: Christ as the Man of Sorrows. It accompanies the exhibition at MOBIA February 15 2011 - June 12 2011.

National Gallery of Art conducted an in-depth study of the career of Mark Rothko , including a discussion of mid-twentieth century abstract expressionism.

This is now in writing on the Internet: "Hampers are built sturdy enough for sitting." I hope you're happy now.

"Presentation of Christ in the Temple" (1447) by Stephan Lochner (b. Germany 1400) GERMANY - On February 2nd, Christians celebrate the holyday known as the "Presentation of Christ in the Temple" or Candlemas which is celebrated 40-days after Christmas, the birthday of Jesus Christ. This year's artist is Stephen Lochner, born in Germany in 1400.

“One should either be a work of art or wear a work of art.” - OSCAR WILDE