Explore sacred art and its relation to today’s world both online and at in-person events

Inspired by Saint Paul’s description of themes in the Christian Bible, The National Gallery has paired nine pictures from their collection with nine from partner institutions in a new virtual exhibition entitled Fruits of the Spirit: Art From the Heart. These pairings open up discussions around Saint Paul’s 2,000-year-old letter to the Galatians about how to build and maintain community in the face of disagreement. In this, he lists nine positive attributes: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Some pairings combine religious narratives with secular scenes, such as The Finding of Moses (c.1630s) by Orazio Gentileschi and Isabella, Duchess of Manchester (1738) by Andrea Soldi, which tackle the theme of ‘faithfulness’. Canterbury Cathedral’s altarpiece, Scenes from the Life of Saint Martin of Tours (1928–33) by Winifred Knights, which represents ‘peace’ and is a powerful example of religious art by a British woman of the last century.

"It is a true joy to bring together diverse works of art from around the UK into new dialogues with the gallery’s stellar collection," says Revd Dr Ayla Lepine, 2021–22 Ahmanson Fellow in Art and Religion at The National Gallery.

Fruits of the Spirit will be accompanied by a series of in-person events at The National Gallery and across the UK, including the Ben Uri Gallery in London, Canterbury Cathedral and The McManus in Dundee. The virtual display, meanwhile, is combined with a free digital catalogue of essays, featuring over 20 curators, artists and community groups writing on the show's themes, as well as a new poetry commission by Dr Aviva Dautch, JR's executive director.

Lawrence Chiles, head of digital at The National Gallery, added: "Fruits of the Spirit has allowed us to bring together paintings from institutions from across the UK that would have been difficult to do physically, and in a more dynamic way than a straightforward website. Online visitors can get a better sense of scale and relationship between the works and hopefully continue the thoughtful dialogue that the overall project has inspired."

By Danielle Goldstein

Header image: Scenes from the Life of Saint Martin of Tours (1928–33) by Winifred Knights, courtesy of Canterbury Cathedral © The Estate of Winifred Knights

Fruits of the Spirit: Art From the Heart runs until Sunday 30 April. nationalgallery.org.uk