Enjoy a new 60-minute documentary and series of short films which trace the influence of Christ’s Cross on Western art. The programmes have been scripted and narrated by Crowned and Chaired Bard, Mererid Hopwood.
The story starts with the Crucifixion itself, and the raw images drawn by early Christians on the walls of Roman catacombs as they hid their religious beliefs.
In more recent times, modern painters such as Munch, Francis Bacon and Salvador Dali – whether Christian or atheist – have been inspired by the powerful history. Dali employed a stunt artist from Hollywood as a model for his interpretation of the Crucifixion.
Many treasures can be found in Wales. As well as Nevern’s Celtic Cross, Partishow Church in Powys houses a carved rood screen – one of only four to survive the Protestant reformation of the 1530s.
“This is a journey through the ages, from the Crucifixion to the end of the Romanesque period, through the Renaissance and the Age of Enlightenment until we reach modern times and the influence of the Cross on today’s art,” Mererid Hopwood explains.
“Of all the world’s religions, hardly any have used imagery as much as Christianity. And the most striking image of all is that of the Cross.”
© 2008 S4C
O Gymru / Made in Wales