“The only really effective apologia for Christianity comes down to two arguments, namely the saints the Church has produced and the art which has grown in her womb.”—Pope Benedict XVI
The story of painting is one that is immensely rich in meaning, yet its value is all too often hidden from us by the complexities of historians. We must forget the densities of 'history' and simply surrender to the wonder of the story." --Sister Wendy Beckett
I hope that Art for the Liturgical Year can play a small part in restoring appreciation for sacred art and the liturgical calendar.
If you subscribe, you can expect weekly posts which reflect on art as it relates to the feasts, fasts, solemnities, and octaves of the liturgical year.
About me
I graduated from Emory University in 2016 with a joint major in Classics and History and a minor in Catholic Studies. After graduating I completed the John Jay Fellowship where I studied the Christian foundations of the American political project. Instead of moving to D.C. and pursuing a career in politics after the fellowship, as is the usual path for fellows, I moved to San Antonio and taught at a classical school for four years. After getting married and having my first child, I quit my teaching job to stay home with my children. While my husband was deployed in 2024, I began writing again at the encouragement of my aunt.
I started this substack to write about art and its relationship to the liturgy and the liturgical calendar. Studying art has been a hobby of mine ever since I can remember. For the past fifteen years I have taken and taught classes, frequented churches and museums, and collected and read many art books. My thesis, which was on the Roman family, relied heavily on material sources (art). Most of the art I've technically “studied” falls between the Ancient and Baroque periods, so I will mostly share art from these periods on this substack.
(I am not a theologian, but I do discuss theology as it relates to paintings. If you spot any errors, please bring them to my attention.)
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