November 18

The Meaning Behind the Mosaic

To my readers, I apologize for not posting for a while. I have been writing a series for our church on the history and meaning of the artwork found in the church. I wasn’t sure if that interested anyone outside the faith community, so I did not post my explorations. However, there is a mosaic […]

September 02

The Lost Coin

This painting is by an artist named Jim Hasse who was a Jesuit Priest. He passed away in 2011. It illustrates the story Jesus told called the Parable of the Lost Coin. A woman who had ten silver coins loses one, and rather than being content in letting the coin stay lost, she sweeps her […]

August 19

Seeing God in the Mundane

I fell in love with this simple portrait of a simple girl doing a simple task. Maybe because I am a simple person? Her facial expression is hard for me to read. Is she bored? Upset? Or just resigned to doing the task at hand that must be done? The artist is a Swiss painter […]

August 12

Minimally Liminal

I discovered this image while looking through Biola University’s Center for Christianity Culture & the Arts. It is a digital illustration by Christopher Powers who oversees a ministry of art called “Full of Eyes” where he creates visual resources for the global church. Dream job! This is how the illustration is explained on the website: […]

August 05

Don’t Just Do Something…

This is a painting of a familiar Bible story told in Luke’s gospel about Jesus’ visit to sisters Mary and Martha. Mary is praised by Christ for her willingness to sit at his feet and listen to his teachings. Martha, however, is up and about, concerned with food preparation and housekeeping. The work is by […]

July 22

Watching the Battle

Who are these lovely ladies hiding in the crevice of a rock? What are they looking at? We learn from the painting’s title that their names are Courage, Anxiety, and Despair and they are watching a battle. This masterpiece is by British painter James Sant who was mostly known for his portraits. He was the […]

July 01

Saying Goodbye

I fell in love with this painting when I saw it. It is titled Our Lady Says Farewell to Christ and was painted by a Polish artist named Piotr Stachiewicz. It shows the tender moment when Jesus says goodbye to his mother and begins his public ministry. She strokes his hair and he kisses her […]

June 05

Forgiveness

I love the emotion this sculpture evokes. The title is Forgiveness which is an appropriate name for the scene playing out before us. We know this piece of art was made from marble, a hard substance to be sure, but after being in the hands of the artist, Pieter Braecke, the marble looks weightless, pliable, […]

May 21

The First Mourning

Once again this week we are dealing with mass murders in our country. It is heartbreaking. As the face of each victim is shown on the news, I can’t imagine what the families are going through. This painting aptly shows the grief of the most heart-wrenching loss—that of a child. This piece is titled, The […]

May 21

The Blind Leading the Blind

In Luke 6, Jesus asks, “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit?” This painting by Netherlandish Renaissance artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder shows us what this situation might look like. The leader of this hapless group of gentlemen has already fallen into the pit and his buddies […]