The labors of St. Joseph
As universal patron of the Church, Joseph is depicted in art as ready to respond to the struggles of the industrial, nationalistic, and revolutionary age.
Elizabeth Lev
Latest articles by Elizabeth Lev
St. Joseph, master of the “Art of Dying Well”
With the Counter-Reformation came artistic portrayals of Joseph as the model for a "holy death."
St. Joseph: Bold, beautiful and Baroque
Artistic portrayals of Joseph came to present him as a Christ-like model of fatherhood and fidelity.
St. Joseph: The “Mr. Right” of the Renaissance
Joseph was held up as the model husband in an age when the institution of marriage was frequently abused.
St. Joseph in art: “Fool” for Christ
Humorous cameos of St. Joseph served the purpose of helping the faithful enter into the mystery of Jesus’ human experience.
St. Joseph in art: The silent knight
The Middle Ages depicted Joseph as a safeguard of the purity of the Church and a protector against attacks of self-interested sovereigns.
St. Joseph in art: An enigmatic and elusive figure
The original “strong silent type,” St. Joseph was so reticent that for the first 200 years of the life of the Church he was absent from Christian art.
These reproductions of fine art, modeled by people with disabilities, will move you
The "Divine Creatures" exhibit at the Vatican Museum shows us beauty and dignity inherent in all human beings
A “stew of nudes”: The near destruction of Michelangelo’s ‘Last Judgement’
For almost 500 years, Protestants and Catholics have had a tug-of-war over the great artist and his work.
Globalization, Catholic Style: When art came to the rescue
A visit to the Piazza Navona brings Bernini's glorious image of Christian globalization: the light of Truth, spread to the four corners of the globe.
Relics and martyrs: A potent Catholic response to the Reformation
The discovery of catacombs with frescoes and relics of incorruptible martyrs gave irrefutable testimony of the Church's history.
“On Earth as it is in Heaven”: History of Korea’s Catholics on Vatican exhibit
When the first priest came to Korea from China, in 1795, he found a land already evangelized by lay people.
Countering the Reformation with images of women, painted by women
The art world produced its first celebrated female painters here, commissioned and supported by the Church.
When art came to the rescue: The intercession of Mary
Counter-reformation artists like Caravaggio encouraged the faithful with ever more fervor to turn to Mary in times of need.
When art came to the rescue: Depicting Marian doctrine
Artists of the Counter-Reformation bring home the Church's complex and difficult teachings on the Virgin Mary.
5 Qualities Catholics look for in our church building designs
The history of sacred art offers a few guiding principles worth remembering as Catholics debate over architecture.
The bloody and unlovely war on sin: Art in the Counter-Reformation
What do our personal battles against evil look like? They are rarely pretty or uncomplicated, in any age.
Love the beauty of Rome? Thank Michelangelo, Caravaggio, and Sts. Peter and Paul!
The extraordinary beauty found from one end of the Eternal city to the other is in large part due to St. Peter.
When art came to the rescue of mystical love
The Protestants saw mystic experience as a quiet, peaceful assurance, while the Catholics had more flair for the dramatic.
Angels in sacred art: Making the invisible visible
Angels, mostly from the era of the Counter Reformation, proliferate in Roman churches.