News in Expressions

Poems, Image, Songs, Expressions

Violence Transformed by Art: Five women artists

Violence Transformed by Art: Five women artists

by: Bert Daelemans, SJ in Expressions,

 Art and violence

In 1945 Picasso recounted how a Nazi officer, spotting a reproduction of Guernica in his Paris studio, asked him, horrified, “Did you do this?” The artist replied without hesitation, “No. You did.” It was the painter who had created the art; it was the Nazis who had caused the violence.

 

England’s forgotten shire, that lives on in spirit if not in name

England’s forgotten shire, that lives on in spirit if not in name

by: Christopher Winn in Expressions,

 Where would you go to find the lowest point in Great Britain, England’s biggest meadow, oldest house, earliest church spire and oldest inn, the loveliest of England’s four bridge chapels, the castle where a Queen of England died of a broken heart, England’s most picturesque water mill and the village that gave its name to the king of cheeses?

Huntingdonshire, England’s Forgotten Shire, that’s where.

‘Fratelli Tutti’ and ‘Ubuntu’ on Cosmological Friendship

‘Fratelli Tutti’ and ‘Ubuntu’ on Cosmological Friendship

by: Elias Opongo, SJ - La Civiltà Cattolica in Expressions,

 Pope Francis’ encyclical Fratelli Tutti has a number of parallels with the African ethic of Ubuntu. Published in October 2020, the encyclical has drawn attention to the social consciousness on solidarity between different members of society based on social-interdependence. The African concept of Ubuntu largely refers to inter-connectedness within humanity and between its members, and asserts that “my humanity finds its fundamental definition through your humanity.” 

‘The Fabelmans’ – Love Film, Love Life

‘The Fabelmans’ – Love Film, Love Life

by: Piero Loredan, SJ - La Civiltà Cattolica in Expressions,
“No one’s private life runs smoothly. That only happens in the movies, Alphonse. No traffic jams, no dead periods. Movies go along smoothly like trains in the night. And people like you and me are only happy in our work.”
 
‘The Milk of Dreams’ – The 59th Venice Art Biennale

‘The Milk of Dreams’ – The 59th Venice Art Biennale

by: Friedhelm Mennekes, SJ - La Civiltà Cattolica in Expressions,

The curator of the 59th Venice Art Biennale, Cecilia Alemani (born 1977 in Milan), lives with her family in New York. Like her husband, Massimiliano Gioni, she is an art director and currently curates exhibitions in New York, where she has led the brilliant High Line Art program since 2011. At the same time, also in New York, she has broadened her experience in artwork for public and unusual spaces, both commissioning and producing. The 2022 Venice Biennale involved many female artists from all over the world. 

Paul Cézanne: The painter who revealed how our eyes really see the world

Paul Cézanne: The painter who revealed how our eyes really see the world

by: Matthew Wilson18th October 2022 in Expressions,

 Paul Cézanne's paintings offered a radical new way of seeing – five works at a new exhibition in London reveal techniques since discovered by scientists, writes Matthew Wilson. A new exhibition about Paul Cézanne at London's Tate Modern presents an artist who unveiled strange truths about human perception. Cézanne's paintings astounded his contemporaries. They seemed to offer a radical new way of seeing, even though no one could explain exactly how.

Between Loneliness and Company: Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Letter to You’1

Between Loneliness and Company: Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Letter to You’1

by: Claudio Zonta SJ - La Civiltà Cattolica in Expressions,

Springsteen begins to sing, understanding the humble intensity of the word: ’Neath a crowd of mongrel trees / I pulled that bothersome thread / Got down on my knees, / Grabbed my pen and bowed my head. The act of kneeling shows he recognizes the value of the earth, a place that sustains precisely because it is trodden upon, and, just as the body places itself on its knees, so too does thought bow down, through the movement of lowering the head.

Maestro: Ennio Morricone’s life in music

Maestro: Ennio Morricone’s life in music

by: Claudio Zonta SJ e Giovanni Arledler, SJ - La Civiltà Cattolica in Expressions,

A few years ago we dedicated an essay to the Missa Papae Francisci, which Ennio Morricone, overcoming some hesitation, had composed and dedicated to Pope Francis. At the time we thought we had penned a definitive tribute to the Roman composer. He appreciated it so much that he confided in us some important observations about the music for the film The Mission and other masterpieces of many genres.

The dark side of Dickens’ genius

The dark side of Dickens’ genius

by: A.N. Wilson - The Tablet in Expressions,

Charles Dickens, who died 150 years ago, was loved for storytelling that embraced justice, compassion and redemption. He was also a brute to his loyal wife. The author of a new biography suggests that great holiness and artistic genius might both be sometimes driven by a divided personality.

Raphael: Lights and Shadows in the Life of a Genius

Raphael: Lights and Shadows in the Life of a Genius

by: Giancarlo Pani SJ - La Civiltà Cattolica in Expressions,

“One of Raphael’s favorite subjects was the Virgin Mary. To her he dedicated many a canvas that can be admired today in museums throughout the world.” Pope Francis captured well one of the characteristics of the great artist,...

What do our dreams mean?

What do our dreams mean?

by: Cath Pound - BBC Culture in Expressions,

In these strange times, many are reporting experiencing more vivid dreams than usual. Cath Pound asks psychotherapist Philippa Perry how art can help us understand them – and ourselves. Dreams have fascinated philosophers and artists for centuries. They have been seen as divine messages, a way of unleashing creativity and, since the advent of psychoanalysis in the 19th Century, the key to understanding our unconscious. 

After 250 Years: Why do we still find Beethoven so Irresistible?

After 250 Years: Why do we still find Beethoven so Irresistible?

by: Ivan Hewett - The Telegraph in Expressions,

Next year is the 250th anniversary of his birth and already the music industry is gearing up to celebrate. The Barbican is first off the block, with its Beethoven 250 season starting on Sunday. At venues around the country there are plans to perform all the symphonies, quartets and sonatas, as well as uncovering the lesser-known corners.

Jean Vanier's '10 rules for life to become more human'

Jean Vanier's '10 rules for life to become more human'

by: Edward Kendall - The Tablet in Expressions,

Jean Vanier, the Canadian philosopher and theologian and the founder of L'Arche communities, turned ninety this week. To commemorate the occasion he released a YouTube video laying out his “ten rules for life to become more human” by sharing his thoughts on life and on growing older. He speaks about success, vulnerability, listening, fear and love. 

The rare blue the Mayans invented

The rare blue the Mayans invented

by: Devon Van Houten Maldonado - BBC in Expressions,

 The colour survives in the work of 17th Century Spanish colonial painters, a symbol of the wealth that ultimately doomed the Mayans, writes Devon Van Houten Maldonado. Across the Atlantic Ocean, colonial Baroque works created by artists like José Juárez, Baltasar de Echave Ibia and Cristóbal de Villalpando in early 17th Century Mexico – New Spain – were full of this beautiful blue.

Nun spreads God's love through art

Nun spreads God's love through art

by: UCA News in Expressions,

The nun's inspiration for creation comes from her experience in life and prayers but mainly from the Word of God. Sister Marie described her experience as a calling within a calling. She goes where God wants her to go to preach the universal values of good relationships, faith, hope, compassion and love with believers and non-believers because her creation contained a mission of evangelization. 

The bringer of light. Gospel reflection for the Second Sunday of Lent

The bringer of light. Gospel reflection for the Second Sunday of Lent

by: Gabriel Ringlet-La Croix International in Expressions,

Several interpretations have been advanced to elucidate this section of the Gospel of Mark. Some say that Jesus was trying to maintain his disciples’ confidence despite the events that he knew were to follow. The majority of exegetes point out that the Gospel of Mark ends somewhat abruptly at Chapter 16 verse 8, with the scene in which women flee the tomb “bewildered and trembling.”

Why is the Mona Lisa smiling? You asked Google – here’s the answer

Why is the Mona Lisa smiling? You asked Google – here’s the answer

by: David Colman - The Guardian in Expressions,

Of all the world’s enigmatic works of art, it is probably the Mona Lisathat people are the most curious about. And indeed, it is hard to imagine why a 77x53cm painting on a piece of wood might be worth more than double the £340m paid for Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi last year. So – why is she worth so much? Why is she so famous? Why is she smiling? There are answers – but they only tell you so much.

Blessed are the restless

Blessed are the restless

by: Sr Silvana, RSCJ in Expressions,

As Augustine wrote elsewhere in his Confessions: I have tasted you; now I hunger and thirst for more. Our initial, aching, longing, restless hunger has been satisfied, only to be replaced by a new one.

Painting as prayer

Painting as prayer

by: Anna Foa - L'Osservatore Romano in Expressions,

The head of the woman praying is covered in the lightest of veils, her hands rest on the candelabra with nine branches, a hannukah [menorah]. She has just lit the candles and is murmuring the blessing, all wrapped up, her hands cupped and her head veiled. This is a picture portraying the artist’s mother, one of the first of her that Antonietta Rapahael Mafai painted.

Through the glass, brightly

Through the glass, brightly

by: Joanna Moorhead - The Tablet in Expressions,

A new exhibition in Shrewsbury seeks to restore the neglected reputation of one of Britain’s most impressive stained-glass artists who was also a Carmelite nun. She rode a motorbike, smoked cigars and became a Carmelite nun. And Margaret Rope, who died in the 1950s, also designed some of Britain’s best stained glass.