40 DAYS, 40 ARTISTS

RECLAIMING AND RE-VISIONING THE PASSION – LENT 2017
1 MARCH TO 18 APRIL -10.00 TO 5.00 DAILY at st michael's church, discoed

#40DAYS40ARTISTS

T2017 saw the fifth Lent Exhibition at St Michael's Church in Discoed. The title Forty Days, Forty Artists refers to the forty days spent by Christ in the wilderness and to the fact that forty artists have been invited to respond to themes from the Passion.

The ten subjects chosen describe the events immediately before and after the Crucifixion as well as the Crucifixion itself. Each of the ten subjects has been interpreted by four different artists, taking their inspiration not only from their allocated title but also from a work of art chosen from the Old Masters.

THE ARTISTS

The chairman of the Friends of St Michael’s, David Hiam, guided as in previous years by artist Charles MacCarthy, selected and briefed the artists.

1. The Agony in the Garden
Daniel MacCarthy, Eugene Fisk, Alex Ramsay, Jacob Luke Hughes

2. The Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus
Allison Neal, Carmel Stephens, Guy Lester, Susannah Fiennes

3. The Mocking of Christ
Tania Mosse, Roger Luxton, Jane Tudge, Christopher Kilmartin

4. Jesus Carries the Cross
Ciara Lewis, Nicholas Bush, Vivienne Luxton, Lottie O’Leary

5. The Crucifixion
Lois Hopwood, Ruth Cameron-Swan, Mary Ann Gelly, Julian Bell

6. The Descent from the Cross
Carolyn Blake, Kate Milsom, Susannah Royle, Susie Cawley

7. Pieta
Richard Bavin, Roger Percival, Bronte Woodruff, Sophie MacCarthy

8. The Entombment
Charles MacCarthy, Yvonne Crossley, Thelma Ayre, Nicky Hopwood

9. Noli Me Tangere
Alison Grimley, Megan Ellis, Sandra Elliott, Silvia Pastore

10. The Supper at Emmaus
Julienne Braham, Ken Eastman, Sara Bamford, Pete Mackenzie

THE EXHIBITION

The exhibition has been curated by artist Charles MacCarthy. The catalogue by The Leverett Press is fully illustrated with all the images and has an introduction written by Sheona Beaumont, photographer and writer specialising in the visual language of belief. The catalogue is for sale for £5 plus £2 p&p.

Although the exhibition as a whole was focussed closely on the events of the Passion there is a great variety in the way that the subjects were treated both in style and medium. The artists, both local and national, reacted with enthusiasm to their challenging commission and the church was filled with an inspirational and challenging exhibition of paintings, sculptures, prints and drawings.

With forty works to display, the feeling of movement around the church was encouraged to incorporate a sense of narrative progression from The Agony in the Garden through to The Supper at Emmaus.  The layout ensured that the size, shape and unique atmosphere of St Michael’s was properly celebrated.  The ambitious project aims to give pause for reflection as well as creating a dialogue between artists and the church.

St Michael's Church, Discoed, near Presteigne, Powys LD8 2NW

where we are: