Finding God in Art
Our former curate Ayla Lepine is both an art historian and a priest. For the last year she has had a different kind of ministry – she has been the Ahmanson Fellow in Art and Religion at the National Gallery. This role has included lecturing for an interdisciplinary MA in Christianity and the Arts at King College London, curating a UK-wide exhibition involving 9 regional museums on the ‘Fruits of the Spirit’ (which will launch later this year), and establishing new interfaith networks.
Ayla believes that God can be found both in traditional religious paintings, but also in secular works, and not only those created by Christian artists. During Lent, Holy Week and Easter this year Ayla was invited to do a series of weekly reflections for St Paul’s Cathedral entitled ‘Painting the Passion’. Her reflections included paintings by Cezanne, Jan van Eyck, Michelangelo, Degas and Rachel Ruysch. You can read her reflections at https://www.stpauls.co.uk/resources/painting-passion
We are excited that Ayla has agreed to do a tour for members of Hampstead Parish Church on 14th June at 3.30 pm. Places are limited to 25 people. To get a free ticket go tohttps://hampsteadparishchurch.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0abb14ff3e958c28416d0dcd7&id=79ab179879&e=e5f062adae
Ayla described her tour as follows:
“From Van Eyck to Van Gogh, the National Gallery’s collection offers innumerable ways of encountering God’s glory in Gospel narratives, saints, landscapes, and everyday life. This tour will explore Christianity across six centuries of art, focusing on the theme of the Fruit of the Spirit. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul lists nine positive ‘fruits’ including love, joy, and peace. These foundational aspects of the Body of Christ will be connected to paintings by artists including Rembrandt, Gainsborough, and Bridget Riley (with some Hampstead Constable content too!).”
