Monsignor Gianfranco Ravasi, the new president of the Pontifical Council for Culture is on amission to revive a relationship between the Vatican and contemporary artists. “For a century now there has been a divorce between art and faith,” Ravasi said. “The basic idea is to return to a dialogue on biblical and religious themes between the Church and the great artists of our time—artists such as Bill Viola, Anish Kapoor, and Jannis Kounellis.” The first showing of new Vatican contemporary artworks will probably be in Venice. “Venice is a showcase for all the big countries in the world, and the Holy See would like to be there with them,” Ravasi said. “We are trying to get the best of international artists on our side, to create new works with a religious or spiritual theme.” Join discussion...

This article described the past relationship between artists and the Vatican. It talked about how the two used to be very closely related, and the Vatican was known for sponsoring up and coming artists to create works of art, Particularly with Pope Urban VIII in 1629. For the past century, however, the two have not been as friendly. In fact there has been little interaction between the two. The Church wants to revive the old ways of being supportive of artists, like in the days of church patronage. The article talked about how one of the ways they plan on doing this is hosting contemporary art shows. One of the first is planned on being held in Venice. Also they are trying to acquire a property in which they could have their own permanent pavilion for the arts. While this is in the works, the article said that the Church is encouraging willing patrons to donate works so that the art collection of the Vatican can be updated, more contemporary, and in line with the times. According to the article, one of the major ways in which contemporary art is shaping the Church and the Vatican is through architecture, because many of the churches are being rebuilt and revamped. The article also discussed briefly some of the reasons for the fallout between artists and the Church. All in all I thought it was a very interesting article that successfully intertwined current events with their historical background in a way that didn't lose the reader in facts. Join discussion...

Monsignor Gianfranco Ravasi, the president of the Pontificial Council for Culture, hopes to revive the Church's involvement in the modern art world. Throughout history and as recently as 1973 the Catholic church has sponsored and exhibited contemporary artwork, and Ravasi hopes to reestablish that bond. He has been a priest since 1966 and is in favor of progressive movement. A few years ago he incorporated modern music into a liturgy because it was more appealing to the many young people in attendance. Although he received letters of admonishment from older parishioners at the church, he considers it a "fine experience." Join discussion...