Dawn Flight by Vancouver artist Carmen
Tome. Mixed media photograph, 2003. Exhibited at the Creation
Groaning show,
held November–December 2003.
The Lookout Gallery - Past Shows
COLLECTOR'S ITEMS
Biblical Art and Private Devotion
A selection from
the collection of Sandra & Robert Bowden
June 2 – August 8, 2004
Every collection, whether corporate or private, large or small,
is a deliberate assembly. It is built for reasons as varied
as the items collected. People choose objects for their
beauty, to study, as investments, out of interest in the subject
matter, for cultural preservation, and for reasons of devotion. Collections
can be interesting for the information they yield about the objects
themselves (who made them, when, and why) as well as for the
insight they provide into who assembled them.
The more than fifty biblical narratives on display are from
the private collection of Sandra Bowden, an artist and the President
of Christians in the Visual Arts (CIVA). The images, dating
from the sixteenth through the twentieth centuries, illustrate
scenes from Jesus' life and Passion. The collection permits on
an intimate scale the examination of iconography over time, the
influence of traditional imagery on contemporary Christian art,
and an exploration of printmaking techniques and print collecting.
The Sandra Bowden Collection
Bowden's preference for printed
representations of biblical narratives and religious themes is
immediately apparent. She
began collecting religious art twenty years ago in part to inform
her own work. She describes her collection both as a search
for art and a means of devotion. Collecting biblical art permits
her to chart iconographic changes over time while becoming increasingly
aware of the scripture that inspired it. This approach
sheds light on the composition of the collection, which is not
centered on certain artists, time periods, or styles. Rather,
Bowden's choices are prompted largely by the subject matter.
The connection is in the scriptural source; the diversity dictated
by iconographic and stylistic choices.
In her own work Bowden responds to the Christian artistic community,
both past and present, in which she is an active participant.
She considers the work in her collection as a "visual interpretation
of faith which leaves a graphic record that faith was alive and
well historically." She hopes that her work becomes
part of the continuum, a testament "that faith was alive
and well in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries."
The Bowden Collection draws primarily from the history of the
printed image; all but a few works are prints. It includes
works by sixteenth-century masters such as Albrecht Dürer
and Albrecht Altdorfer; seventeenth-century masters Rembrandt
Van Rijn and Simon Frisius; twentieth-century notables Eric Gill,
Käthe Kollwitz, and Georges Rouault; contemporary artists
Ed Knippers, Tanya Butler, Sue Coe; as well as works by unidentified
artists.
Iconography
As an artist collecting works by other artists, Bowden joins
a community that has historically collected in this way. Prints
and their collecting facilitate the transmission of ideas and
iconography over time. Her collection illustrates the various
ways in which biblical narratives may be depicted. Images range
from strict representational narratives to allegorical and often
symbolic contemporary renderings. Each work is designed
for an audience and as such employs iconography and style easily
legible to communicate information.
The exhibition focuses on the life and Passion of Christ. Works
have been arranged thematically in the order in which they occur
according to the biblical narrative. Historically the principal
functions of Christian images have been to strengthen the faith
and teach Bible stories. Today, a collector like Sandra Bowden
shows us that both functions continue to validate biblical images,
and that the message of art is as strong as ever to artists,
collectors, and the faithful alike.
Collector's Items was on show at the Lookout Gallery at
Regent College from June 2 - August 8, 2004.
