Today's Gospel in Art - You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church

Delivery of the Keys, by Pietro Perugino 1481, Fresco © Sistine Chapel, Vatican

Gospel of 23rd August 2020 - Matthew 16:13-20

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi he put this question to his disciples, 'Who do people say the Son of Man is?' And they said, 'Some say he is John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.' 'But you,' he said 'who do you say I am?' Then Simon Peter spoke up, 'You are the Christ,' he said, 'the Son of the living God.' Jesus replied, 'Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. So I now say to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.' Then he gave the disciples strict orders not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.

Reflection on the Fresco Painting

Following on from yesterday's painting by Magritte, I wanted to chose a contemporary artwork of Saint Peter. Sadly, I couldn't think of a single 21st century artwork representing Saint Peter. I must say that it fills me with great sadness as to why contemporary artists are not using saints anymore as subject matters or even mere sources of inspiration. Why is that? The great century-old Christian and Biblical narrative seems to have largely disappeared, being replaced by an artist-centered cult. The absence of Christian topics and saints is striking. Sometimes artists do 'flirt' with christian topics, such as Damien Hirst using many Christian inspired titles for his work, but largely there is an absence of God in contemporary art. To me this absence is paired with an emptying of the works of art themselves: abstract art has emptied itself from representation; sculptures are being made of thrown away random day-to-day objects; some paintings are just made of a word; etc… This emptying not just of many of the age old subject matters, but also of the very materials used in works of art is a reflection of the wider trend of society as whole moving away from God. I am all for contemporary art, and it is very dear to me, but the lack of Christianity within it, is sometimes painful and alarming. Not being able to think immediately of a contemporary art image of Saint Peter is saddening.

The way we approach beautiful works of art, is for me similar to the way we approach saints. Both have an aura. They radiate something (hence in art we put shiny, light emanating hallows around our saints). There is something unattainable when we approach them, drawing us into silent contemplation. A good example of this is this fresco by Perugino, where Christ is giving the keys of His Kingdom to Peter. Commissioned by Pope Sixtus IV in 1481 for the walls of the Sistine Chapel, it is a stunning, pictorial image that is reflective of Renaissance ideals: figures, balance, harmony, and three-dimensional space. It was comforting to look and contemplate the richness of this work of art, compared to the feeling of emptiness not being able to come up with a suitable contemporary art work.

LINKS

Today's story - https://christian.art/en/daily-gospel-reading/522

Christian Art - www.christian.art