Public Conference

Religion and art. On 5th September, HRF Siobhán Jolley organised a public conference to mark the culmination of the 2022-23 National Gallery Art and Religion network theme, The Art of Creation. Scholars, artists, theologians, faith leaders and practitioners from a wide range of disciplines were invited to participate in this one-day conference exploring the intersection of art, theology, and ecology. The programme included short papers that explored the relationship between art, theology, and ecology in relation to at least one of three works of art from the National Gallery’s permanent collection – Monet’s Flood Waters; Van Gogh’s Long Grass with Butterflies; Ruysch’s Flowers in a Vase. It also featured a reflection on our summer exhibition, Saint Francis of Assisi from co-curator Joost Joustra. The sold-out event was well attended (approximately 160 in the room and online) and feedback was overwhelmingly positive.