Week 1: Introduction - Chapter 3

[Kerstin]

This is a most intriguing title. It promises to tell the story how art influences faith, and the author, Elizabeth Lev, concentrates on the time period of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation, which she chooses to call Catholic Restoration. The importance of religious art for the faithful in a largely illiterate society cannot be underestimated, and the Church had affirmed this at the Council of Nicea in 787 in the wake of iconoclasm, and the Council of Trent in response to the Protestant Revolution took it up again. There was now a deliberate collaboration between artists and the Church, who commissioned the works, to counter the confusion sewn by Protestant theologians.

Part 1: The Sacraments, Introduction

A dark and divisive cloud swept through Europe in the wake of October 31, 1517, when Martin Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses challenged almost every aspect of Faith. Confusion reigned supreme regarding everything from sacraments, which accompanied human beings from birth to death, to the saints, who set daily examples in the liturgical calendar. Was Jesus present in the Eucharist? Could the procession of historical Christian heroes in Heaven assist the living? Was Mary’s role in the story of salvation solely that of the “God bearer,” with no lasting influence over the Church?

Lev answers why the faithful could be so easily led astray.

The Fourth Lateran Council had defined the dogma of the transubstantiation back in 1215 and mandated that the faithful receive Holy Communion and go to Confession at least once a year. But three hundred years later, the faithful still reluctantly received both Confession and Communion, often looking instead to obtain indulgences through pilgrimage and pious activities for the remittance of sins.
Distance from the sacraments and the ignorance surrounding them made for fertile ground for Luther in 1517.

Further connecting to her theme, Lev writes,

Accustomed to seeing images in churches all their lives and exceptionally skilled at reading them, the believing public of the late sixteenth century may have found words confounding, but the comfort of the sacred space was filled with the faces of the old, holy friends.

These opening pages give us the historical context. Let’s start our discussion here. In a couple of days I will post intros to the first two chapters.

[Frances]

Very nice, Kerstin. Thanks so much.

[Frances]

I think it’s interesting to look at the dates of the martyrdoms of three significant Catholic saints, in this context.

Thomas More, 1535
Edmund Campion, S.J., 1581
Robert Southwell, S.J., 1595

[Kerstin]

All of these saints were English, which had a very different history separating from the Church than the the Continent. There really wasn't a Counter-Reformation in England.

[Kerstin]

One of the statements in the introduction I found rather surprising and disappointing:

The works discussed in this book were primarily selected from the Italian peninsula. Although Spain and some of the Netherlands also produced magnificent art...

What about southern Germany? Seriously! Southern Germany along with Austria and Switzerland has absolutely magnificent Baroque churches. I've lost count how many I've seen. Some are world renown, others are just small village churches with artwork that will take your breath away and make you weak in the knees. To omit mentioning this major center of Counter-Reformation Baroque architecture is quite a faux pas.
Just to be clear, I have no quibble with Lev concentrating on Italy from which she takes her examples that are repeated elsewhere.

Back in 1966 the Upper Swabian Baroque Route was created with a main route and several side spurs. It is over 300 miles long and not all of the buildings featured are churches. There must be easily 100 buildings in total.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_S...

[Manny]

That's a very good point Kerstin. While she does discuss architecture, her main focus seems to be the art of painting. Thanks for making me aware of that Upper Swabian Baroque Route. While I did know that part of Germany had remained Catholic, I did not know about the route. Those are beautiful buildings and churches.

[Manny]

I think her three reasons for using art to evangelize should be listed.

1. Art can make stories come alive.
2. Art can bring clarity.
3. Art is uplifting.

I think those are pretty solid reasons.

[Manny]

Perhaps her central thesis, which is stated on page seven, should be stated:

This book presents the major challenges the Church faced during the age of the Protestant Reformation that were effectively answered through art and architecture. While some works date from the first response to Luther in the 1520s and a few others from the late 1600s, most of the art discussed is the product of the immediate generations following the Council of Trent, from 1570 to 1650.

It's interesting she will take us through the sacraments and then end with salvation. She says:

The final chapter is dedicated to Michelangelo's Last Judgment, the ultimate Catholic response to the Protestant Reformation, summing up the most essential doctrines of salvation and projecting them toward a glorious destiny intended by God for every living soul.

So why is the Last Judgment "the ultimate Catholic response to the Protestant Reformation"? I want to say that it's because the Church being at the center of the means to salvation. The sacraments can only exist through the Church. Salvation then can only come through the Church. But she seems to not follow that line of thinking when she says "intended by God for every living soul." But not every soul is in the Church, so how can they be saved? Or am I making too much of it? We'll just have to see when we get to the last chapter.

I do think this should be emphasized. The underlying assumption within the art is to show the need for the Catholic Church to reach salvation as opposed to individual means to salvation, i.e., through faith alone.

[Frances]

I know the motivations that led Henry VIII into conflict with Rome were far different from Martin Luther’s. But there was a great historical shift occurring in the sixteenth century and, in that context, Elizabeth I, on the day she ascended to the throne, brought England into the Reformation.

[Kerstin]

Manny wrote: "The sacraments can only exist through the Church. Salvation then can only come through the Church. But she seems to not follow that line of thinking when she says "intended by God for every living soul." But not every soul is in the Church, so how can they be saved? Or am I making too much of it? We'll just have to see when we get to the last chapter."

I hope she will follow solid theology.

[Kerstin]

I think art is a very unique way of communication. It can convey grandeur, majesty, mystery, make visible that is normally invisible, and so much more! in pictorial or architectural form where other modes are inferior to.

Moving on to Chapter 1: The Eucharist and the Space of Mystery, instead of giving you a synopsis, I will give you a YouTube link to the Church of Gesu in Rome. Reading these pages I keenly felt that if one has never experienced the overwhelming majesty and mystery of stepping into one of these sacred spaces, the written word is quite limited. The following video is very nicely done. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6DDD...

Note: the video will start with the closed captioning (CC) turned on. You will see more if you click it off.

[Kerstin]

Here is the Wikipedia entry for the Church of Gesu. If you click on the first picture, you can click the arrow on the right to take you to the next one, like a manual slide show. You can also take the cursor and zoom in to see some details better.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_...

[Kerstin]

For anyone who has access to FORMED, if you put in architecture in the search, it will bring up a segment of Symbolon where Dr. Edward Sri is describing how the theology of a church building is designed by example of St. John Lateran in Rome.

[Manny]

Kerstin wrote: "Here is the Wikipedia entry for the Church of Gesu. If you click on the first picture, you can click the arrow on the right to take you to the next one, like a manual slide show. You can also take ..."

I'm not crazy about the facade of the church but the inside and the art work is stunning!

[Manny]

Kerstin wrote: "I think art is a very unique way of communication. It can convey grandeur, majesty, mystery, make visible that is normally invisible, and so much more! in pictorial or architectural form where othe..."

That was breathtaking! I did not get the same appreciation from the book, or even from the Wikipedia pictures.

[Joseph]

I think the most fascinating bit in the first chapter is the discussion of Rood Screens. I once heard an Eastern Rite priest say "If you water an altar rail it grows to the ceiling and becomes an iconostasis." But, according to Lev, it's the opposite. With only a short rail instead of a screen, the worshippers have full view of the Blessed Sacrament at the elevation, and thus the opportunity for adoration.

[Galicius]

Author encourages a pilgrimage to see the works she writes about “with the same eyes as the faithful who walked from city to city on their way to Rome.” Such a journey would not be practical for most at this time especially, however, anyone in the greater New York City area has an opportunity to see a good number of fine religious artworks in a little-known annex of the Metropolitan Museum appropriately named and housed “The Cloisters.” It is worth a visit and also show it to any visitors to this area in addition to the standard NYC sites. I took first-time visitors from Europe to it who asked, as I had, what are these Medieval altar pieces doing here and how did they get here. (I only cared less about some faded unicorn tapestries there.) “A New Look at Old Masters” exhibition is showing to May 2022.

https://www.metmuseum.org/visit/plan-...

[Kerstin]

Here are depictions of rood screens
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=rood+screen...

[Manny]

Kerstin wrote: "Here are depictions of rood screens
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=rood+screen..."

They do add beauty but I am glad they are no longer used. The congregation needs to be engaged with what is happening on the altar.

[Galicius]

The first rood I saw was in a monastery in Central Europe. I was on a guided tour and our bus stopped at a monastery whose history goes back to the fourteenth Century. Our tour guide took us by a side door and we ended up in what looked like a sacristy on the side of and leading to the main altar. The guide turned our group over to a priest who took us to the main altar. We stood there listening to him. Everyone was simply standing including the priest—no dropping to the knees. However, what embarrassed me more was seeing the rood that looked like metal bars separating the rests of the sanctuary from where we were between the rood and the altar. I saw a little old woman on her knees on the outside with folded hands between the bars of the rood praying and no doubt eying our disrespectful group.

[Kerstin]

Galicius, that's a misunderstanding. Let me explain:

The reason for the metal rood screens (which are often gorgeous works of art by themselves) right by the entrance preventing visitors to enter the sanctuary is theft. Back in the 60s and 70s there was a scourge of art thefts in historical churches. So the Church put these screens up, which are connected to alarm systems, and are unlocked for Mass times. You will find many of these in smaller, off the beaten path, country churches containing significant art work. Sophisticated surveillance systems, and for the visitor unobtrusive, are usually found in the more prominent buildings frequented by many visitors and tourists.

[Kerstin]

Rereading you comment, Galicius, it looks to me that you were in a sanctuary with a rood screen for the purpose of separating the religious from the assembly.

[Galicius]

Kerstin wrote: "Rereading you comment, Galicius, it looks to me that you were in a sanctuary with a rood screen for the purpose of separating the religious from the assembly."

That is exactly what I thought it was. I was embarrassed that we American tourists were so special treated. I felt compassion for the little woman beyond the gate. I should have mentioned that this main altar has a revered painting, which is normally covered with a solid shield. The monastery uncovers it only occasionally. It was rolled up for our group and covered again. Therefore, the little woman was also fortunate to chance upon it.

[Joseph]

A follow up. I saw a photo a couple of months ago noting, along with this chapter on the Church of the Gésu, how the altar in post-Tridentine churches is the center of attention. The photo was part of a trad leaning commentary, which I do think is spot on, how now the way that sanctuaries have been rearranged it's often the priest that is the center of attention rather than Christ's Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament. The altar in many churches is now barely larger than a school desk, whereas the high altar in pre conciliar churches dwarfed the priest and drew all attention to the Tabernacle and the Holy Sacrifice taking place.

[Kerstin]

That's a very important point, Joseph. After Vatican II and the introduction of the Novus Ordo the priest has become the center of attention in many churches, especially if the old and beautiful high altars have been removed - or were never present in post-Vatican II modernist "churches" - don't get me started on this garbage! It is time this type of iconoclasm is being reversed on a large scale. And in many places this is actually happening. Thank God!

[Manny]

Kerstin wrote: "Rereading you comment, Galicius, it looks to me that you were in a sanctuary with a rood screen for the purpose of separating the religious from the assembly."

Yes, for those who read Rumer Godden's In This House of Brede remember there is a screen in the monastery that separates those nuns inside from those coming to visit. The nuns stay on one side and the visitors stay on the other.

[Kerstin]

In the musical The Sound of Music you see one as well.

[Kerstin]

Here is a video from one of my favorite churches in southern Germany, the Basilica of Ottobeuren, which is also still a Benedictine monastery. The monastery, or better abbey, was founded in 764! The current church was built in the later phases of the Baroque between 1724 - 1742. The video highlights beautifully the artwork. The dimensions of the basilica are impressive: the twin towers stand 82m (269 ft) high, the sanctuary is 89m (291 ft) long and 36m (118 ft) high. Ottobeuren is nestled in a valley, and when one drives there you can't see it as you approach. All of a sudden you come over the hill and below you is this small town dominated by a massive basilica. It is quite dramatic. Watch for the smallish Romanesque crucifix from the 13th century and a pieta believed from the 15th century.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KzsW...

Edit:
I almost forgot! The church has three organs! Two up front facing one another in the apse framing the high altar, and one in the back up in the loft.

[Kerstin]

Chapter 2: Painters and the Eucharist

With the architecture changed to focus on the tabernacle and thereby the Eucharist, it was now the painters’ task to make the invisible mystery of the Real Presence visible. First Lev takes us to a sculpture, and not a painting: Michelangelo’s Pietà, now at St. Peter’s in Rome. At first the disproportion of the figures are a little puzzling, Mary is so much bigger than Christ. However, it was initially meant to be above an altar, and the visual effect from below being of the body of Christ slipping onto the altar, quite a stunning composition! The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis (worth a visit under any circumstances!) has a bronze replica of the Pietà.

The paintings Lev covers are:
Lamentation over the Dead Christ by Andrea del Sarto
The Institution of the Eucharist by Federico Barocci
Entombment of Christ by Caravaggio
The Last Communion of St. Jerome by Domenichino

[Manny]

Kerstin wrote: "Here is a video from one of my favorite churches in southern Germany, the Basilica of Ottobeuren, which is also still a Benedictine monastery. The monastery, or better abbey, was founded in 764! Th..."

That was wonderful. It originally made me do a double take. The art work was so different and then i realized it was Rococo period. I'm used to looking at Renaissance style or even earlier, or Baroque later. It took a few minutes for me to realize it was none of those.

[Manny]

Kerstin wrote: "Chapter 2: Painters and the Eucharist

With the architecture changed to focus on the tabernacle and thereby the Eucharist, it was now the painters’ task to make the invisible mystery of the Real Pr..."

I have a small representation of the Pieta in my study (seven or eight inches high) and I have remarked on how the body could not have been stable in Mary's arms. Lev points out it's not supposed to. She writes:

Mary grasps Jesus under the arm through what can be interpreted as a humeral veil, but her other hand releases the body, allowing it to slide toward the altar below, as if presenting the body of her Son to the sacrifice.

That makes perfect sense. And we see some of the other artists presenting the body similarly. That was enlightening!

[Kerstin]

Manny wrote: "That was wonderful. It originally made me do a double take. The art work was so different and then i realized it was Rococo period. I'm used to looking at Renaissance style or even earlier, or Baroque later. It took a few minutes for me to realize it was none of those."

Yes, Rococo has a more playful and airy feel to it. The churches of this time period, whether Baroque or its later form Rococo, have such a life-affirming exuberance about them, they revel in the glory of God and give us a foretaste of Paradise without omitting that it takes Cross for us to get there.

There are a series of Baroque churches in southern Germany where the image of Christ being scourged at the pillar feature prominently. Some depictions are painted on walls and ceilings, and others have life-size sculptures.

Going back to Lev omitting this geographical region, I had a discussion with my husband. He couldn't quite understand it either. He mentioned that especially in southern Germany the importance of the influence and ultimate success of the Counter-Reformation cannot be underestimated.

[Kerstin]

Manny wrote: "And we see some of the other artists presenting the body similarly. That was enlightening!"

Of all of these paintings the Caravaggio is the most stunning. In composition there are parallels with Michelangelo's Pieta as it gives the illusion of Christ slipping onto the altar. He seems to float in suspension with the people around him not in complete control of the movement.

The Sarto is also quite intriguing. I love how the paten with the suspended host is unobtrusively situated by the linen-covered stone slab which Christ through his presence makes into an altar.

[Manny]

Kerstin wrote: "Yes, Rococo has a more playful and airy feel to it. The churches of this time period, whether Baroque or its later form Rococo, have such a life-affirming exuberance about them, they revel in the glory of God and give us a foretaste of Paradise without omitting that it takes Cross for us to get there."

That is a really good point. I have to admit, I know little of the Rococo art period. What I do know is the music, that gorgeous early classical music!

[Manny]

Kerstin wrote: "Going back to Lev omitting this geographical region, I had a discussion with my husband. He couldn't quite understand it either. He mentioned that especially in southern Germany the importance of the influence and ultimate success of the Counter-Reformation cannot be underestimated"

I wonder if you can write her a letter asking her about it. You might send it to the publisher, Sophia Institute Press. I wonder if there is an email address.

[Manny]

Kerstin wrote: "Manny wrote: "And we see some of the other artists presenting the body similarly. That was enlightening!"

Of all of these paintings the Caravaggio is the most stunning. In composition there are pa..."

Yes, Caravaggio is always stunning. I've really grown to appreciate his brilliance. I have to say I have fondness for The Last Communion of St. Jerome by Domenichino. I love the Eucharist being right at the center of the painting, and I love the depiction of an elderly near death St. Jerome. The Eucharist is highlighted in a way to really communicate its power.

[Kerstin]

Manny wrote: "I wonder if you can write her a letter asking her about it. You might send it to the publisher, Sophia Institute Press. I wonder if there is an email address."

That's not a bad idea. I'll wait until we've finished reading the book.

[Kerstin]

Ack! For some reason I had it in my head that Chapter 3 belonged to week 2. I would have posted sooner!

Chapter 3: Prelates, Penance, and Painters

The logical consequence of more frequent Communion was increased confessions. … St. Charles Borromeo reasoned that “those who receive communion more often confess more often”…

Martin Luther strongly attacked the sacrament of Penance at the time, calling it a “perilous and perverse doctrine”.

It may be good at this time to insert a bit of background and take a look as to why Luther was so opposed to Confession. He suffered from scrupulosity, a spiritual pathology or anxiety over one’s sins or morality. In other words, he was overly perfectionistic and couldn’t forgive himself his own minor transgressions. It is said he spent hours agonizing in Confession. - Oh, the poor priest hearing the confession! - Something went awry with his spiritual direction either through incompetence of the spiritual direction he was given or it was his own stubbornness. At some point he must have decided to chuck the whole deal and dismiss the sacrament all-together.

Back to the book, the first step in getting the faithful back to Confession was to work with the clergy and encouraging them to greater holiness. The artwork designed for this purpose was not to be displayed publicly, but in more intimate settings, giving the person the requisite privacy for authentic contrition.
The artworks featured are St. Peter Penitent by Guido Reni and St. Jerome by Federico Barocci.

What surprised me was that during this time the confessional was invented by St. Charles Borromeo. I didn’t know that. I wonder what setting was used before.

[Celia]

I am very impressed with this book. Easy to read and understand. Full of very enlightening information.
I have as a result, a goal to study the 95 theses of Martin Luther. I had only understood them to be about indulgences. Now I understand at least this: Luther interspersed his ideas about Penance and the Eucharist. These ideas got him excommunicated for heresy.
On October 3, soon after I started the book, our pastor mentioned the significance of art before the printing press was invented. Most people could not read. As a result, they looked to art to see images of Christ, the Holy Family and the saints. When the press was invented, Father reminded us that the first book printed was the Bible.
I have highlighted my Kindle notes on sentences that impress me. I will continue to do that as I make more progress in this book.

[Kerstin]

It is easy to read. I find that very appealing as well.

Yes, the first book Gutenberg printed was a Bible, specifically, a German translation predating that of Luther's. It has been claimed down the centuries that Luther's translation was the first German translation of the Bible, but this isn't true. Hence, the first Bible Gutenberg printed was a Catholic Bible.

[Manny]

I do have to say that I did not find the art all that convincing of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Yes, the paintings showed people in acts of repentance, but I don't think Luther was saying there was no need for personal repentance. For most Protestants I think it's an internal repentance with Christ, outside of a church or priest. Do those paintings show something that Luther would have objected to? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think they do.

[Kerstin]

Yeah, I thought them a little flat too.
I think Rembrandt's The Return of the Prodigal Son (1669) is the iconic painting in this context. I've seen it featured in confessionals, probably because Henri Nouwen wrote an entire book on it, The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming

[Catherine]

I’m a little late in getting started but have made it through the first chapter this morning. I’m wishing I had read this before I visited Italy, especially Rome, three years ago.

One clarifying question…who are the Tridentine Fathers?

[Joseph]

Catherine wrote: "I’m a little late in getting started but have made it through the first chapter this morning. I’m wishing I had read this before I visited Italy, especially Rome, three years ago.

One clarifying ..."

They are the bishops who participated in the Council of Trent. You sometimes see the same convention used to refer to the Vatican II bishops when someone calls them, "The Council Fathers."

[Catherine]

Thank you for clearing that up, Joseph. I know so little about the Council of Trent but now my curiosity is piqued.