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An artistic glimpse into the gospel Kathleen LaCamera, May 28, 2007
"The Deposition," Oil, 1947, by Graham Sutherland, from the Methodist Church Collection of Modern Christian Art, (c) Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes, used by permission of Trustees of the Collection, The Methodist Church of Great Britain.
By Kathleen LaCamera Special Contributor
OXFORD, England -- A special exhibition of The Color of Love, described as the best European denominational collection of modern art outside of the Vatican, is on display in Oxford.
The collection, based on biblical and Christian themes, is owned by the British Methodist Church. Among the leading 20th-century artists included in the exhibition are Graham Sutherland, Georges Rouault, Elizabeth Frink and Edward Burra.
The collection was the brainchild of Dr. John Gibbs, an art lover and Methodist layman. In the mid-1950s, he sought the help of the Rev. Douglas Wollen, an art critic and Methodist minister, to put together a collection of serious contemporary art.
Dr. Gibbs felt that the quality of religious art at the time was poor, and he wanted to do something to visually and spiritually nurture both believers and nonbelievers.
The collection is housed at the Westminster Institute of Education within Oxford Brookes University. Collection pieces tour frequently and are regularly displayed in Methodist-related institutions, cathedrals, ecumenical settings and galleries.
Exhibition administrator Peter Forsaith said the purpose of the collection is to be part of the mission of the church, reflecting a "Methodist theological understanding of the Christian narrative."
"Art can communicate with people in a nondogmatic and nonchurchy way," said Dr. Forsaith, who also lectures in Methodist/Wesleyan studies at Oxford Brookes.
"It brings people face-to-face with Christianity and with ultimate questions. People familiar with the Bible see these pictures and it turns their understanding upside-down. People who may have rejected religion or not been engaged by Christianity find something in one of the pictures that challenges them."
Dr. Forsaith said he can never tell which pieces will be popular in any single exhibition. He particularly recalls a psychotherapist literally running up to him after seeing John Reilly's painting, The Raising of Lazarus, at the opening of this current exhibition.
"She said, 'That's wonderful! That's just what people describe they see when they have near-death experiences!"
Artist Eularia Clarke's The Five Thousand has also proved a popular painting in this show. Ms. Clarke sets her interpretation of the Gospel of Matthew's account of this story in modern times, with people dressed in contemporary clothing, sitting in the grass and enjoying fish and chips.
A partial view of a preacher or Jesus-figure is visible in the upper right-hand corner of the painting. Bicycles, tea kettles and handbags in the painting evoke a feeling that the exhibition catalog describes as "more of a church picnic than a biblical miracle." It's a scene that Dr. Forsaith believes is about the presence of holy things in the ordinary and everyday.
"If it's good art it asks questions of the viewer," he said. "It asks questions like Jesus did. You go away wondering about what you've seen."
Exhibition visitor and American Free Methodist minister David Wilson agrees with Mr. Forsaith about the engaging quality of art. Mr. Wilson, who is studying for his Ph.D. in Britain, said art goes outside traditional boundaries and invites people into dialogue.
"That inviting aspect of art resonates with the parables of Jesus, which also invite people into dialogue," said Mr. Wilson.
Among Mr. Wilson's favorite pieces in the exhibition is Jacques Iselin's painting, The Elements of the Holy Communion, which incorporates the elements of bread and wine into a rich bright background of yellow, orange and red.
In his introduction to the exhibition, former president of the Methodist Conference and collection trustee John B. Taylor says many will be surprised that the Methodist Church has an art collection. He says the art focuses on episodes in the life of Christ and invites the viewer to "look through the medium to the God who can reveal himself not only through the spoken word, but also through material, created things."
Dr. Taylor says the collection "is an invitation to learn more about the richness of God's being, and to offer him glory and praise." Works in The Color of Love exhibition are on display through June 9 at both Wesley Memorial Methodist Church and St. Michael at Northgate Church in Oxford. For information, log on to: http://www.smng.org.uk/COL/index.htm.
Ms. LaCamera, a clergy member of the New York Annual and British Methodist conferences, is an American freelance writer living in Manchester, England.
"The Deposition," Oil, 1947, by Graham Sutherland, from the Methodist Church Collection of Modern Christian Art, (c) Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes, used by permission of Trustees of the Collection, The Methodist Church of Great Britain.
The collection is housed at the Westminster Institute of Education within Oxford Brookes University. Collection pieces tour frequently and are regularly displayed in Methodist-related institutions, cathedrals, ecumenical settings and galleries. 
Dr. Forsaith said he can never tell which pieces will be popular in any single exhibition. He particularly recalls a psychotherapist literally running up to him after seeing John Reilly's painting, The Raising of Lazarus, at the opening of this current exhibition. 
Among Mr. Wilson's favorite pieces in the exhibition is Jacques Iselin's painting, The Elements of the Holy Communion, which incorporates the elements of bread and wine into a rich bright background of yellow, orange and red. 
