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Way of Beauty
The Vatican’s masterpiece loan: Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘St. Jerome’ at the Met
To commemorate the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s passing, the Vatican Museums have loaned one of the artist’s greatest paintings to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Saint Jerome Praying in the Wilderness is on view in…
Heart of love
Few introductions to the history of art recount — and still fewer museum exhibitions today display — the remarkable productions of a movement called Les Ateliers d’art sacré. Unlike so many of the masterpieces that we enjoy today in the…
Is Rembrandt’s ‘Return of the Prodigal Son’ the greatest painting of all time?
“Your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.” Luke 15:32 Rembrandt van Rijn was the greatest painter of the Dutch Golden Age — and to some, of any age. Known as both the “painter of light,” and an…
Carthusian devotional art inspires exhibition at The Frick Collection in New York
The glories of God have always inspired artists, and art is a powerful way of spreading his word. In earlier centuries, when many faithful couldn’t read and few understood Latin, paintings, sculptures, and stained glass windows brought the…
Contemplating the meaning of the Eucharist
When looking at the Disputation over the Most Holy Sacrament, or The Disputa, a fresco created by Italian Renaissance painter Raphael, one thing stands out most: its emphasis on the Eucharist. Measuring 200 inches by 300 inches, The…
St. James, lead us to Christ
St. James holds an important role in the Catholic faith. Not only was he one of Jesus’ original Twelve Apostles who was present at the Transfiguration, he is believed to have carried out Jesus’ ministry to the far reaches of Europe,…
The humanity of Sts. Peter and Paul
Among the most well-known early Church leaders are Sts. Peter and Paul. These two remarkable men had very different beginnings, yet would go on to become Jesus’ foremost apostles and would eventually be martyred for their faith. Peter, a…
John the Baptist prepares the way for Christ
John the Baptist may be one of the most important figures to appear before Christ’s actual ministry. In the Gospels, it is John who presages the ministry of Christ. He is in his very essence a fulfillment of the prophecy in the Book of…
Jesus to all of us: ‘Take and eat; this is my body’
In addition to elaborate or even simple processions, one way in which many Catholics have expressed their devotion toward the feast of Corpus Christi is through works of art. If one were to look at Christian art throughout the centuries,…
Restout’s ‘dramatic’ Pentecost painting
Pentecost is one of the most important feast days in the liturgical year. It is the day where, 50 days after Easter and 10 days after Jesus’ ascension, the Holy Spirit descended upon the Twelve Apostles and the Virgin Mary, appearing as…
