The image of the Virgin Mary cradling the body of the crucified Jesus known as Pieta (“pity” in Italian) is a sacred art motif transcending ethnic, religious, political, social, and cultural boundaries. You would have to have a heart of stone not to feel empathy and compassion for a mother mourning the death of her only son—especially when he…
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At a time when empathy for others is in short supply, my thoughts turn to Christ's Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus and the great reversal at the end of the story where the selfish big-spender finds himself tormented after death in Hades, while the poor man of the street is comforted in the Bosom of Abraham, the…
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The debate this past year over "illegal aliens" has become so contentious and defamatory it dictated the theme for my images from the Sacred Art Pilgrim Colletion for the Advent and Christmas seasons: the Flight into Egypt. How you interprete this tragic postlude to the story of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem largely depends on where you see…
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"Prophets are uncomfortable to be around. They may influence people but they certainly do not make friends by telling us hard truths we would rather not hear, especially when they claim to speak for God. Much is made of their ability to foretell the future, but, in reality, prophets simply warn us with provocative and threatening words of the…
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As we enter the last two months of the summer, my theme is the Hosts of Heaven with the Western Christian feast day in late September of Saint Michael and all the angels in mind. The quartet of artworks now on view in the From Realms of Glory gallery in the Themes of Faith section show worshipful angels in…
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For the first two months of the summer season, I'm taking up the pastoral theme of the Good Shepherd, presenting three new images of this beloved biblical subject in different variations by Ukrainian Greek Catholic artists from the new school of iconography in the West Ukrainian cultural center of Lviv. Ivan Dashko creates holy images in the style of…
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May is traditionally devoted to the Virgin Mary. In this Marian month, I'm presenting a trio of images from women icon makers in wartime Ukraine, offering modern variations on the Madonna of Mercy, where the Mother of Christ is shown sheltering people under her cloak. The oldest existing depiction is a late 13th century panel from the Sienese Master,…
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Western Christians celebrated Easter this year on the last day of March. For the month of April, I'm adding three new images of Christ's Post-Resurrection appearances by Cypriot Icon-maker Charalambos Epaminonda to The Resurrection of Christ gallery of The Life of Christ section. The trio of acrylic on wood paintings are part of a multi-year project Epaminonda began in…
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