There is an awful lot to be said for paintings in reproduction, which is how most of us encounter art, at least to begin with. I met Ernst Gombrich, the great art historian, once; he recalled that when he was growing up in Vienna everyone had reproductions of great art in their homes: it meant you encountered the great works.
Farm Street Church in London has an admirable little exhibition for the month of May, Mary’s month, which it has put on display outside the parish offices. There are 24 images of the life of the Virgin, taken from the National Gallery in London. Pilgrim of Hope was planned and produced by the monks in Quarr Abbey on the Isle of Wight, which is under the patronage of the Virgin. There is an admirable introduction to the selection by Sir Gabriele Finaldi, the director of the National Gallery, and a Catholic whose faith illumines his work.
