"Beauty can cut across a thousand arguments, it can speak directly to the heart, it can be persuasive in many mysterious ways.” So said Gabriele Finaldi, director of the National Gallery, in a talk at Farm Street Church, in London’s Mayfair district. He was speaking at the launch event of Catholic Creators UK, a new platform for Catholic artists. Even in a secular world, Dr Finaldi pointed out, art galleries and churches alike reveal our thirst for beauty.
Catholic Creators UK is born out of a desire to bring together today’s artists – poets, film-makers, fine artists, web designers, playwrights – and support them with spiritual formation, social gatherings and opportunities to showcase their work.
Eve Farren, chairwoman of Catholic Creators, knows that being a Catholic in the art world today has no small amount of stigma attached to it. She speaks from experience as an actress-playwright and Rada graduate. However, addressing a 300-strong audience, Farren said their presence demonstrates a “hunger from Catholic artists to connect, to meet people who are orthodox in their faith yet simultaneously deeply curious and open-minded”.
Dr Finaldi encouraged those present to positively and confidently integrate their art with their beliefs. Works of art, he believes, are “carriers and emblems of faith”. In his talk, he wove a path through the ages, showing how the image of Christ can capture the imagination of the viewer. The life of Christ is perpetually fascinating.
Dr Finaldi quoted from St John Paul II’s Letter to Artists, which marks its 20th anniversary this year: “It is up to you, men and women who have given your lives to art, to declare with all the wealth of your ingenuity that in Christ the world is redeemed: the human person is redeemed, the human body is redeemed, and the whole creation.”
The next event will be a networking evening at The Library bar, St Martin’s Lane, London WC2, on March 21 from6pm. For more information and to book, email info@catholiccreators.org.
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