RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

GOD'S ART MUSEUMS
By TAHLIB

"Feet First" (1990) by Martin Kippenberger at MoMA

"Robo-priest" delivered the Easter homily in French today at Saint Vincent de Paul Church. I nicknamed him that because of his robot-like efficiency during weekday noon masses, but today he was different. Backed by an all Haitian choir, he was on fire before the packed congregation of pasty Parisian-born New Yorkers dressed in white. It was a beautful yet broken experience for me. Monday - Friday, this is my home church but on this Easter Sunday, I was an alien. Yesterday, at MOMA I saw Martin Kippenberger's retrospective, and his crucified frog is my image for Easter 2009. Everyday in NYC, wonder surrounds me but I remain an alien.

As a Christian, this holyweek is the most special week of my year:

• Good Friday: "Crucified Frog" by Martin Kippenberg [link]
• Easter 2009: St. Vincent de Paul, Chelsea, NYC [link]

To follow my holyweek journey, I'll be updating future Easter posts with links in the years ahead. Whether Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Jew or non-denominational, we are all members of a giant spiritual family, united in the search for human meaning through art from the religious imagination. For us, it's more than Art. It's also Religion.

Facade of Church

While the facade is elegantly preserved, it is the opulent interior of the 1869 structure, as refined in 1939 by architect Anthony H. Depace that most takes your breath away. There are grandiose marble columns, intricate mosaics, murals and colorful stained glass which effectively combine to produce a kind of super spiritual atmosphere found in the greatest of Christian churches. St. Vincent de Paul is a masterpiece but one that is in a state of decay, and needs a resurrection for the modern day.

Interior of the church