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Way of Beauty
Embracing Easter
(ABOVE) Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not), Fritz von Uhde (1848–1911)
Life Reigns over Death
by Fr. Anthony Giambrone, OP Around the turn of the 20th century, a burst of creative energy was transforming the artistic landscape of western civilization in revolutionary ways. In countries such as France and Poland, where both the…
Living the Dream
BY GINA LOEHR “The angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream” (Matthew 2:13) — for the second time! This striking depiction of The Dream of Joseph by Anton Raphael Mengs (1728–1779) imagines Joseph receiving the divine commission to…
A family at prayer
by Gina Loehr Paris, 1867. The World’s Fair, a gathering so full of character and culture that it attracted more than 9 million visitors during the course of the nine-month exposition. Among the exhibits at the fair was the work of the…
Vermeer’s hidden Catholic faith
by Fr. Anthony Giambrone, OP Dutch genre and landscape painting is a wonderful, placid gift to the world. The humble serenity that perfumes these images of simple people and daily chores, of pleasant homes and peaceful homelands, breathes a…
‘Let thy face shine’
Pictured above: Madonna and Child, 1907–08 (tempera on panel) by Marianne Stokes (1855–1927) Mary beheld the face of God in her own arms. When she gazed down upon her child, God looked back at her. What an extraordinary mystery! Countless…
A triumphant vision of the Church in Rome
"Moses" by Michelangelo in the church of San Pietro in Vincoli in Rome.
Unescapable death
by Elizabeth Lev In the late 12th century, Ubaldo Lanfranchi, archbishop of Pisa, returned from the Holy Land to his native city. As papal legate to the Third Crusade, he traveled with 52 ships, which he had filled with dirt from Mount…
The ‘vast cosmic drama’
by Fr. Anthony Giambrone, OP Hieronymus Bosch (circa 1450–1516) is certainly one of the most singular visionaries in the history of Western religious art. While the essential theology and moral message of his images accords perfectly with…
Jesus’ crucifixion up close
Spanning the gap between the late medieval world and the so-called modern age, a phenomenon called the devotio moderna reshaped European religious sensibilities. A variety of pious interests characterize this loose movement, which strove to…
