This is a wonderful book - the first comprehensive account of the life and work of John Piper, including many of the overlooked tributaries into which his creativity overflowed. It contains in-depth research into all the major commissions within John Piper's lengthy career, plus
Georges Rouault Christ on the Cross
Posted on by James Woodward
In one of Rouault’s crucifixion scenes, painted around 1920, the dark is one again a fundamental feature. The Crucifixion could almost be taking place at night. The sky is dark, the land is dark and the outline of the Cross is black. This serves to focus the eye of the viewer
Henry Moore
Posted on by James Woodward
Radical, experimental and avant-garde, Henry Moore (1898–1986) was one of Britain's greatest artists. This exhibition at Tate Britain takes a fresh look at his work and legacy, presenting over 150 stone sculptures, wood carvings, bronzes and drawings.
Moore rebelled again
St Helens Cross Kelloe
Posted on by James Woodward
This extraordinary piece of English Romanesque Art played a very significant part of my spiritual nurture. It is located in the Norman Church where my faith was encouraged and sustained. I was gald to have this image sent to me by a local photographer, Trevor Smith.
Here is a lo
The Supper at Emmaus, By Caravaggio
Posted on by James Woodward
The moment when the disciples recognize the stranger in the midst as the risen Christ is show in a dramatic way, with arms outstretched and astonished faces. Here as elsewhere Caravaggio achieves part of his effect by the use of brilliantly lit figures against a dark background
Accessing the spiritual?
Posted on by James Woodward
The tourist season has certainly started here and its worth pausing to consider the lure of these buildings:
Painting and sculpture, music and drama, architecture and liturgy: all these involve arranging the physical world in ways that lead beyond the visible. This explains why
Energy Art Movement
Posted on by James Woodward
Chicago's cultural scene is soon to be energized by the most unusual art
movement to date, emerging from across the globe - the Energy Art Movement.
These artists uphold values and paint with a message. They look within
themselves to express their vision of what our world could
Quelle est cette odeur agréable?
Posted on by James Woodward
Quelle est cette odeur agréable,
Bergers, qui ravit tous nos sens?
S’exhale-t’il rien de semblable
Au milieu des fleurs du printemps?
Quelle est cette odeur agréable
Bergers, qui ravit tous nos sens?
What is this pleasant fragrance,
shepherds, which delights all our
Craigie Aitchison
Posted on by James Woodward
One of my favourite artists died this week - a painter who was an outstanding colourist. Here is his obituary from the Times:
Craigie Aitchison was one of those visionary individualists whom Britain throws up from time to time. The first sight of a picture by him might suggest
Christ the King
Posted on by James Woodward
Today the cycle of the Churches year ends as we commemorate and celebrate Christ the King.
Here are some prayers and images -
Almighty and merciful God,
you break the power of evil and make all things new
in your Son Jesus Christ, the King of the universe.
May all in heaven and
Futurism
Posted on by James Woodward
Thanks to the generosity of friends in Solihull I have membership of the Tate and was glad to escape from the pressures of work to see the exhibition of some of the Futurists work in the glorious building.
Tate Modern celebrates the centenary of this dramatic art movement
On the need for Perspective
Posted on by James Woodward
One of my favourite pastimes is looking at paintings. There are two great dangers when looking at paintings. The first danger is that of being too close to the picture. All we see then is the scrubbed brush work, layers of streaky paint, fragments of colour. We need to be at a
Relational Aesthetics
Posted on by James Woodward
FOR EVIDENCE OF ART'S recent love affair with "interactivity" and "connectivity," one need look no further than the pair of digital art surveys currently playing at the Whitney Museum of American Art and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. For less literal proof, this
Saying the Unsayable
Posted on by James Woodward
I have been offering some reflections on the exhibition that took place in Centenary Square last week here are some image to give you a glimpse of how it all worked....
Compassion, attachments, love and connections
Posted on by James Woodward
Further pictures from the Saying the Unsayable exhibition.
We had a very large number of images to choose from to illustrate this theme and interestingly many that focussed on not only the value of peer friendships, but family and across generational connections.
Change and Decay in all around I see?
Posted on by James Woodward
The world round us is in a constant process of change and movement. Familiar buildings come and go. Nothing that is built will last forever. These images give us a glimpse of the movement and change that is at the heart of the familiar - even solid constructions.
I wonder wh
Saying the Unsayable: Being Alive, hope and death
Posted on by James Woodward
The images here depict those aspects of living, dying, death that would not ordinarily be available for us to capture in our everyday lives here in the West Midlands.
This first image has no text but allows you to imagine what happened before the bodies reached this pla
Saying the Unsayable
Posted on by James Woodward
Over the next few days I want to share with you some reflections and pictures from an exhibition that will run in Centenary Square Birmingham from the 2nd through to the 4th of July 2009.
Here is some background:
How the exhibition came about: The Images project
In this pr
Barbara Hepworth
Posted on by James Woodward
My house in Windsor is slowly becoming my new home through a process of adaption and sorting. Key in all this are my pictures. I finally found the spot for one of my favourites - a signed Hepworth Moon - very mystical and needing to avoid any direct sunlight.
For those of yo
Pentecost
Posted on by James Woodward
Almighty God, who on this day
didst open the way of eternal life
to every race and nation
by the promised gift of thy Holy Spirit:
Shed abroad this gift throughout the world
by the preaching of the Gospel,
that it may reach to the ends of the earth;
through Jesus Christ our Lor