The Centre for the Art of Living and Dying Well and the School of Theology at St Mary’s University’s Exchange Theatre in Twickenham, hosted panelists from the world of art history, medicine and faith to explore how art and culture has helped societies as they grapple with questions of death and the afterlife.
The Art and the Afterlife event was part of an ongoing project exploring the many ways people understand and reflect on death and the afterlife in culturally and religiously plural societies, with a view to improving our shared literacy around death, particularly in end-of-life contexts.
Art historian, Lynne Hanley, founder of Beyond the Palette, provided an insight into the afterlife in Greek mythology, showcasing a 4th century BC funerary vessel.
She explained:
“As a member of the mystery cult of Dionysus, you could expect to get all the ‘formalities’ for your afterlife out of the way when you were alive, and die safe in the knowledge that Persephone would look after you in the underworld.
“The funerary vessel depicts what you were letting yourself in for as a follower of Dionysus which was, essentially, a continuation of worldly pleasures. Not all ancient Greeks were impressed. Plato quipped, possibly with an eyebrow raised, that ‘the highest reward for virtue was eternal drunkenness.’”
Father Patrick van der Vorst, a former auctioneer at Sotheby’s, founder of Christian Art, and Precentor at Westminster Cathedral, highlighted the importance of art in discussing life and death:
“God Himself is an artist. God Himself and Jesus used art to convey to us the truths and the beauty of this wonderful gift of this world that we’ve been given.
“God instructs Moses to build him an ark, to build him a lamp stand, to make priestly vestments, etc.
“And not only does he tell Moses that these things should be built, but he says actually I know of all the people who are down there, who are with you here in the desert. I’ve chosen Bezalel and Oholiab, these two people, and I have given them the talents to build all these things.”
He also presented a painting by Dutch artist Peter Klaas, describing it as “a kind of a big warning sign when you look at them, to say, well, enjoy today, but always think what they will be after this life.”
Baroness Sheila Hollins, Emeritus Professor at St George’s University of London, shared insights from her professional and personal life:
“For a lot of my career, I’ve worked as a psychiatrist with people with learning disabilities, trying to help them to understand their lives, what matters in their lives. This is a group of people who are often not told about things, certainly aren’t told about death and dying.
“35 years ago I started making a series of word free picture books, which tell stories, but they tell stories about the real things that happen in life. So trying to use art, I’ve worked with about eight artists over that time to create stories, which to begin with were a therapeutic tool and now are read in bookclubs all over the country.”
She shared artwork created by her 13-year-old granddaughter depicting Mary’s eye as she looks at Jesus on the cross. Baroness Hollins said of the drawing: “I feel that I’m being drawn towards something, being invited into a mystery that’s puzzled me all my life.”
Bishop Paul Tighe, Secretary of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, said: “We need to deepen our culture, to not be afraid to think about death, to see death as being ultimately opening up this question to us about the meaning and purpose of life.”
Drawing everything together, Archbishop Bernard Longley, the Archbishop of Birmingham, drew attention to the evening’s theme of accompaniment.
The event was chaired by LBC’s Shelagh Fogarty and held in partnership with the Dicastery for Culture and Education, Vatican City.
Centre for the Art of Living and Dying Well
St Mary’s University – School of Theology
