Light of the Holy Spirit
On Sunday I noticed a poster similar to this one at the front gates of our church. I was, of course, interested in learning more about this "Celebration of Catholic Sacred Art Inculturation 2012."
The setting was at Beitang, the Cathedral we visited once before for our first Good Friday in Beijing. I've been wanting to return anyway, and this week's event seemed to be the right time.
More after the jump
Beitang, also knows as Xishiku Church, and consecrated to Our Savior, is an ideal location for an exhibit of Chinese Catholic art that reflects both East and West. The church itself is Gothic, though the church grounds show that we are definitely in China.
Far to the rear of the church was the building that housed the exhibit. I think this is the "Evangelization Center" of the parish. It was just one of the many older buildings that surround the church that at one time housed priests, nuns, orphans, and schools. The path was marked by several posters that provided an introduction to the featured visual artists, as well as some of the diocese's musicians.
Once inside, I was surprised at the variety of sacred and devotional art displayed. There were scroll paintings, porcelain plates, wood carvings--so many traditional Chinese art forms. Two women were in the room, happy to guide us through the exhibit.
A few of the featured scrolls and books centered on a modified 福, meaning "blessing," to convey the Christian meaning of the word. For instance, this one clearly has a mother and child, incorporated into the character.
In another smaller piece the 福 variations included a child studying the Bible and someone caring for a sick person. Each of these 福 was supported by a four character description in the form of a chengyu to aid in interpretation.
One particular collection of pictures really caught our attention. They were produced using only wood veneer that had been pieced together or layered to create the image. No paint or pigment was used on the images themselves. Every detail and every color was created with pieces of wood.
The kids and I were both completely fascinated by this technique, one that originates out of the Dongbei region of China. We quickly learned that one of the women with us, Miss Wang, was the artist that produced these in her hometown in Heilongjiang Province. She humbly accepted our gushing appreciation.
Among all the images in the exhibit, the most striking was definitely her rendition of the well-known Our Lady of Peking. Miss Wang spent more than a year assembling this. It was overwhelmingly Myles' favorite.
After going through the exhibit, I was curious what the next step for these artworks and artists would be. The exhibit, publicised throughout the diocese, definitely was a step towards raising the profiles of these artists that have been called to use their talents for the Church. One of the sponsors of the exhibit was a company called Christian Sacred Art, represented that day by the other woman who talked us through the different styles and artists shown.
Christian Sacred Art will be handling the commercial future of these artists, as well as sell some religious goods priced higher than those normally found in the small rosary shops in the parish churches. Their shop is near Beitang, just outside the gates of the church. More mass-produced products are available at their online shop hosted at the giant Chinese e-Tailer Taobao. The one-of-a-kind artwork are mostly available in their shop.
The prices were not outrageous, though Miss Wang's Our Lady of Peking was definitely priced according to its appeal and her year of invested labor. I did put a modest down payment on a much less expensive and yet-to-be completed piece from her that we will receive when we return to Beijing in August after our summer trip home. Since everything of hers there (except Our Lady of Peking) was already sold, we will get to select from what is available later this summer. So many of the other paintings and scrolls, too, I could easily see us wanting to have in our home here and eventually in the US. Even though these are a more recent discovery, these kind of art would be truly representative of our life in China.
The setting was at Beitang, the Cathedral we visited once before for our first Good Friday in Beijing. I've been wanting to return anyway, and this week's event seemed to be the right time.
More after the jump
Beitang, also knows as Xishiku Church, and consecrated to Our Savior, is an ideal location for an exhibit of Chinese Catholic art that reflects both East and West. The church itself is Gothic, though the church grounds show that we are definitely in China.
Far to the rear of the church was the building that housed the exhibit. I think this is the "Evangelization Center" of the parish. It was just one of the many older buildings that surround the church that at one time housed priests, nuns, orphans, and schools. The path was marked by several posters that provided an introduction to the featured visual artists, as well as some of the diocese's musicians.
Once inside, I was surprised at the variety of sacred and devotional art displayed. There were scroll paintings, porcelain plates, wood carvings--so many traditional Chinese art forms. Two women were in the room, happy to guide us through the exhibit.
A few of the featured scrolls and books centered on a modified 福, meaning "blessing," to convey the Christian meaning of the word. For instance, this one clearly has a mother and child, incorporated into the character.
In another smaller piece the 福 variations included a child studying the Bible and someone caring for a sick person. Each of these 福 was supported by a four character description in the form of a chengyu to aid in interpretation.
One particular collection of pictures really caught our attention. They were produced using only wood veneer that had been pieced together or layered to create the image. No paint or pigment was used on the images themselves. Every detail and every color was created with pieces of wood.
The kids and I were both completely fascinated by this technique, one that originates out of the Dongbei region of China. We quickly learned that one of the women with us, Miss Wang, was the artist that produced these in her hometown in Heilongjiang Province. She humbly accepted our gushing appreciation.
Among all the images in the exhibit, the most striking was definitely her rendition of the well-known Our Lady of Peking. Miss Wang spent more than a year assembling this. It was overwhelmingly Myles' favorite.
After going through the exhibit, I was curious what the next step for these artworks and artists would be. The exhibit, publicised throughout the diocese, definitely was a step towards raising the profiles of these artists that have been called to use their talents for the Church. One of the sponsors of the exhibit was a company called Christian Sacred Art, represented that day by the other woman who talked us through the different styles and artists shown.
Christian Sacred Art will be handling the commercial future of these artists, as well as sell some religious goods priced higher than those normally found in the small rosary shops in the parish churches. Their shop is near Beitang, just outside the gates of the church. More mass-produced products are available at their online shop hosted at the giant Chinese e-Tailer Taobao. The one-of-a-kind artwork are mostly available in their shop.
The prices were not outrageous, though Miss Wang's Our Lady of Peking was definitely priced according to its appeal and her year of invested labor. I did put a modest down payment on a much less expensive and yet-to-be completed piece from her that we will receive when we return to Beijing in August after our summer trip home. Since everything of hers there (except Our Lady of Peking) was already sold, we will get to select from what is available later this summer. So many of the other paintings and scrolls, too, I could easily see us wanting to have in our home here and eventually in the US. Even though these are a more recent discovery, these kind of art would be truly representative of our life in China.
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