| Synopsis: |
The 34 pieces of art featured in this book will form the content of an exhibition of Greg Tricker's work to be held in Westminster Cathedral, London from 26 September to 15 October 2011, some of the pieces having previously been on display earlier in the year in Gloucester Cathedral. Each piece is accompanied by text from Sister Wendy, making the book appealing to Christians and art lovers. Greg Tricker uses a variety of materials, ranging from ink, paint, wood, stone and stained glass, to produce works of art which illustrate the Gospels and the Christian tradition. His style is greatly influenced by Vincent van Gogh, and he continues the mystical tradition in modern British art pursued by Eric Gill, Cecil Collins and others from the last century. Tricker has previously produced collections on St Francis of Assisi, St Bernadette and Kaspar Hauser. Inspired by a life of prayer, Sister Wendy writes about art, especially Christian art, in such a way that the reader is drawn into the work and, in seeing the Divine, is drawn closer to God. In her Introduction to the book, she write: "One might expect the Christ Journey to be pictures illustrative of the life of Jesus.The natural assumption would be of a journey beginning with the Annunciation, or at least the Nativity, and ending with the Resurrection and the Ascension. Tricker, as so often, confounds these expectations and exceeds them. There are, indeed, wonderful images of Jesus but they are highly selective. Tricker will show us only one miracle, and yet he depicts, most movingly, several of the great 'I Am' sayings of Jesus. He deliberately passes on to post Ascension time, with paintings from the lives of St Paul and St John, and there is an amazing emphasis on St Joseph of Arimathea and St Mary Magdalene. He sees Christ as embarking on a cosmic journey through time, and so he adds images of saints, some from later centuries, especially dear to him: St Bernadette, St Francis, St Clare. He is revealing his profound conviction that the Christ Journey is for each of us, our own journey. We do not make it alone or in our own power. Of ourselves we are helpless spiritually to put one foot ahead of another. But in Jesus, we journey strongly and surely. It is not that we take the same journey. Jesus is our Journey.If our faith cannot accept this and live out its consequences, then we have no faith at all. We either journey in the Christ Journey or we stay lost, on the shore." This book combines the work of two uniquely gifted individuals. |