“The Incredulity of Saint Thomas” by Caravaggio

The Incredulity of Saint Thomas
By Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1601-1602)
Oil on canvas. Sanssouci of Potsdam, Germany.
Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.”But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of [...]

“A Christian’s imagination” by Francis Schaeffer

“The Christian is the one whose imagination should fly beyond the stars.”
–Francis Schaeffer, Art and the Bible (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1973), 91.

“The Miraculous Draught of Fishes” by Jacopo Bassano

The Miraculous Draught of Fishes
By Jacopo Bassano, 1545
Oil on canvas, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of [...]

“Our beautiful Savior, Jesus Christ” by Philip Graham Ryken

“We are living in a fallen and broken world; yet for all its ugliness, this world was made by God and will be saved by his grace. Therefore, we should devote our skill to making art for the glory of God, and for the sake of his Son– our beautiful Savior, Jesus Christ.”
–Philip Graham Ryken, [...]

“Artistry easily becomes idolatry” by Philip Graham Ryken

“Artistry easily becomes idolatry, and when this happens, art is seen to exist only for its own sake and not for any higher purpose… It is said that when Henri Matisse completed his masterly paintings in the Chapel of the Rosary at Venice, he stepped back and proclaimed, ‘I did it for myself.’ One of [...]

“Art is an incarnation of the truth” by Philip Graham Ryken

“Art is an incarnation of the truth. It penetrates the surface of things to portray them as they really are.”
–Philip Graham Ryken, Art For God’s Sake (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2006), 39.

“Christians tend to dismiss abstract art” by Philip Graham Ryken

“Some Christians continue to think that certain forms of art are more godly than others. They make a sharp distinction between the sacred and the secular, not recognizing that so-called secular art is an exploration of the world that God has made, and therefore has its place in deepening our understanding of God’s person and [...]

“The Incredulity of Saint Thomas” by Caravaggio

“The Incredulity of Saint Thomas”
By Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, 1601-02
Oil on canvas. Neues Palais, Potsdam.
The Gospel according to John (20:24-31), ESV

“Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, ‘Unless I [...]

“The Conversion of Saint Paul” by Caravaggio

The Conversion of Saint Paul
By Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1600-1601)
Oil on canvas. Cerasi Chapel, Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome.
“But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the [...]

“Exegesis, exegesis, and yet more exegesis!” by Karl Barth

Two Scholars Disputing (Peter and Paul?)
By Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1628)
Oil on panel. National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia.
“We have been studying cheerfully and seriously. As far as I was concerned it could have continued in that way, and I had already resigned myself to having my grave here by the Rhine!… And now the [...]

“The Supper at Emmaus” by Caravaggio

The Supper at Emmaus by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, 1601
Oil on canvas. National Gallery, London
“And he said to them, ‘O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?’ And beginning with Moses and [...]

“Simeon with the Christ Child in the Temple” by Rembrandt

Rembrandt. Simeon with the Christ Child in the Temple. c. 1666-69. Oil on canvas. Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, Sweden
“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, [...]