About the Contemplative Prayer and Visual Art course
Two Masters of Wonder: Vilhelm Hammershøi and Marc Chagall
Paintings require sustained presence and yet unveil their depth only to those who do not rush to judgment but know how wait for them to speak to us on their own terms.
Similarly, while involving a discipline of presence and attentiveness, growth in contemplative prayer depends on waiting for the invisible God to teach us the ways in which his presence in us and in the world can be perceived and acknowledged.
This can be learnt at the school of two masters of wonder, interiority and silence, Vilhelm Hammershøi (1864-1916). and Marc Chagall (1887-1985).
Hammershøi is known for the stillness of his subdued interiors and portraits; Chagall for his consummate understanding of colours and the deep emotional resonance of his dreamlike scenes. They seem worlds apart and yet both visualize the power of interiority especially when, as with Chagall, we attend to eros, suffering, and exile.
This day course with Fr Luigi Gioia (bio below) will involve a mix of learning through the visual arts and practical sessions on contemplative prayer.