Home / News & Publications / Michigan Catholic News / 2010 / Local priest shares his 'Passion' of sacramental art
Local priest shares his 'Passion' of sacramental art
by Kristin Lukowski of The Michigan Catholic
Published April 23, 2010
 Click on image to start slideshow of Fr. George's art. |
DETROIT — Priests can reach people through powerful homilies, or thoughtful columns in the weekly bulletin. Others have another tool in their arsenal — a paintbrush.
One of those priests, Fr. Mark George, SJ, pastor of SS. Peter and Paul (Jesuit) Parish in downtown Detroit, is hosting a show of his work beginning this weekend. Titled "From the Passion to the Sacraments," reflecting the progression of his work, the display will include paintings depicting his own interpretations of suffering, world events and the sacraments.
"My artwork is another way of evangelizing people," he said.
Fr. George got his start in painting early, as his father, Paul, is also an artist; his sister and one brother are also artists. He majored in art at the University of Notre Dame, and taught a few art classes at Holy Redeemer High School, Detroit, in the 1980s, although he was mostly a math teacher.
After a few years of teaching, he entered the Jesuit seminary, which was about the same time his paintings became religious in nature. That was also about the time he became interested in social justice issues, particularly hunger, and getting involved in Bread for the World and Hunger Project.
That concern for justice comes out in many of his paintings, some of emaciated figures, another of a person giving food or drink to another. Many of his earlier paintings draw on his experiences as a novice, when he did a lot of meditation on the Passion. He often paints a wounded male figure being tended to by a woman, just as the women tended to Christ. His later works include images of the sacraments, moving toward a depiction of more public ministry.
It takes Fr. George anywhere from a few months to a year to complete a painting, as his time in his small studio at the Colombiere (Jesuit) Center in Clarkston is limited. Because priests travel from assignment to assignment every few years, he can't keep too many of his paintings, either — he hangs what he can, and leaves some with friends or former parishes.
"The time I can put into art is very limited — once a week if I'm lucky," he said. "I can sketch in my spare time, but for painting I need a day off."
He doesn't take too much inspiration from other artists, although he does like the artwork of El Greco and the German impressionists. He used bold colors and bold strokes because he likes making that kind of statement, he said: "To me, it's a reflection of my personality," he said. "I'm not a subtle person." His math background is often reflected in a painting's geometric shapes.
Fr. George draws from his own experiences, or things he sees on the news, for example. "I paint a combination of things I see, things I'm feeling, what's going on in the world," he said.
His artwork also gives him a chance to educate people about art and Christian art, as well as learn a bit more about him as a person. And it's another way to spread the Gospel: "It is a way of evangelizing people," he said. "Sometimes, you can get something across in an image you can't get across in the spoken word."
Fr. George added that the vast majority of his work is religious, if not overtly, conveying a religious or social justice theme. "Every once in a while I try to do something else, but it doesn't have the same power," he said.
|
