"She": The Virgin Mary in contemporary art.Saul AlijaSacred art has a fundamental role in our world".Joost Joustra is one of the speakers participating in the 14th Professional Seminar on Church Communication Offices at the end of January 2025, which is being held at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross. He is currently a lecturer at King's College London, where he helps students to understand the complex relationship between the art and religion.
How would you define the interaction between religion and art?
- It's not an easy answer because they're both very broad subjects. I would say that essentially the relationship between religion and art, or specifically between Christianity and art, is that even for people who don't consider themselves believers, there are certain things that they can identify with in these stories that are found in the Bible, for example. Visual art is a very accessible way to get into those themes.
To give you an example, I worked on an exhibit on the subject of sin and, of course, one of the important themes of that exhibit was the Fall of Mankind and the story of the book of Genesis. And if you are Christian or Jewish you will know that story very well, but if not, a picture of Adam and Eve showing some hesitation in Adam when he accepts the fruit can make the story very accessible. Ultimately, that's the power of art when it comes to these subjects.
What is the relevance of this relationship in the contemporary context?
- Traditionally, churches are highly decorated and people like to visit these places regardless of their faith, so there seems to be some kind of attraction. Even if people do not have a personal connection to the religious aspect of the art, they are attracted to it.
How do you see the evolution of religious art and what current trends seem particularly significant to you from a theological perspective?
- A good example, which I would not like to call a "trend" but a "concern," is that I think people are thinking very actively about the environment these days. For example, the exhibition at the National Gallery on St. Francis of Assisi. St. Francis' relationship with the environment and Pope Francis using his writings in recent years is a good example of someone who lived hundreds of years ago but still has something to say about our current moment.
Are there certain recurring elements or symbols in art that you consider universal in representing the divine?
- Of course, they are everywhere. They can be very explicit; the most essential image of Christianity could be Christ on the Cross or the Virgin and Child. But people also find a certain divine presence in abstract paintings. Is it necessary for art to be figurative to convey a certain sense of divinity? I don't think so. Artists can do many things.
What opportunities are there today for greater collaboration between these two fields in the coming decades?
- In my day-to-day work at King's College London I have come to realize that teaching is important in this relationship. At King's College we offer a Masters program in Christianity and Art, which means that people come together and some of them may be trained in Theology and some of them may be trained in Art History. But they all come together because of that common interest.
During this course, art historians become familiar with the Bible and certain religious concepts, and theologians become familiar with the vision.
One challenge, which is also an opportunity, is that we have to reintroduce the image in religion. Since the Reformation these images have disappeared a bit, at least in some parts of the world. But I think images and works of art have as much to say as texts and theologians.
From an Art History perspective, how has the representation of religious themes evolved over the years?
- Early Christian art was based on certain symbols, such as the cross or the fish. Gradually a tradition emerged, stories were told and figuration and naturalism became important. Ultimately, it was about identification, about people identifying with these stories. That is why the cult of saints became so important in medieval Europe.
The heyday of the Renaissance and the Counter-Reformation period is the real flowering of this type of art. During the Enlightenment there was somewhat less interest in it, but even when you think of the great painters and artists of the 19th century, there is a great interest in these subjects which, even if the representation changes, remain the same.
