What can art teach us about faith?

For centuries, the purpose of art was to raise the heart to God. From inspiring conversions and encouraging people to ponder the existence of a Higher Power, to deepening existing faith, art has always played a pivotal role in exploring faith.

In the latest episode of our Into the Truth podcast, we sit down with the Director of the National Gallery, Gabriele Finaldi, to discuss the enduring bond between faith and artistic expression. Explore questions surrounding contemporary Catholic art's relevance and the ethical considerations of an artist's work.

Listen now to discover the profound relationship between faith and art and to consider the pivotal role art can still play in faith despite our secular culture.

Discover more about the National Gallery here: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/

Chapters:

00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:35 Background in faith and art
00:06:05 Seeing Salvation a Millennium exhibition
00:09:51 What does Christ look like?
00:11:41 St Francis of Assisi exhibition
00:18:10 Using art to encounter God
00:31:25 How religious art enters museums
00:34:15 The relationship of the artist to their art
00:37:34 The development & decline of Catholic art
00:49:42 Lack of English religious art
00:55:47 The bicentenary of the National Gallery