I find reflecting on various pieces of art to be very therapeutic and spiritual. I find the works of Italian Renaissance master, Piero de Francesca especially so. The Civic art gallery in the quiet Tiber valley town of Sansepolcro is home to one of my favourites.
You can pay to enter the gallery but there is a small flight of steps on the outside of the building leading to a large glass window from which the you can gaze on the masterpiece ‘Resurrection’ at the end of a corridor. Christ, robed in a soft gown, stands looking directly at the observer, one leg on the edge of the tomb and a standard in his hand. The mark of the spear that pierced his side is evident. The guards are asleep at his feet. He looks directly forward, as if saying ‘See, I am alive! You who gaze on me, are you alive also, or asleep like these below me’.
What I like, apart from the magnificent soft colouring and the beautiful Tuscan scenery in the background, is the way the town has made this important masterpiece free for all to view. It says to me that Christ is not bound by just those who believe and want to seek him out but is available, freely, for everyone.
In a world struggling to understand what is happening and fighting to contain normality we all need a risen Christ to look directly at us and remind us that God is in control. He is alive and can overcome death, fear, doubt, anxiety and weariness.
Christ is alive and comes to bring
Good news to this and every age,
Till earth and sky and ocean ring
With joy, with justice, love, and praise.
STF 297